'Revolutionary' scheme praised for benefits to patients

Patients entitled to free medicines can start picking up their drugs from the pharmacy of their choice in the coming weeks, the Health Ministry said yesterday.

The service will not cost the patient anything, a ministry spokesman told The Times.

Hailed as a "revolution in primary health care" by the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) and an "upheaval" by the Chamber of Pharmacists, the scheme - announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on Sunday - is expected to make it easier for patients to collect medicines.

Currently between 120,000 and 140,000 are entitled to collect free medicine from the nine state pharmacies in Malta and Gozo, sometimes waiting hours to be served.

Moreover, many patients have to travel to other localities. GRTU pharmacy owners section president Mario Debono said a patient who lives in Mgarr has to go to Mosta every two months to collect his prescription medicines.

Once the scheme comes into effect patients will be able to pick them up from one of the 204 licensed private pharmacies around Malta and Gozo, although some medicines or medical devices will still have to be collected from the hospital pharmacy.

It is still unclear whether patients will be able to choose the pharmacy themselves or whether they will be given a list of pharmacies to choose from. The division spokesman said details will be released when the agreement is signed between the authorities, the GRTU and the Chamber of Pharmacists. Chamber of Pharmacists president Maryanne Sant Fournier said convenience was only one of the benefits of the scheme. Pharmacists will also have more time to dedicate to patients and discuss the medication with them.

"This should put patients in a better position to manage their medication," she said.

The ministry spokesman said once the system is fully fledged pharmacists will be able to keep records of medication taken by patients to ensure that there is no adverse interaction with other prescribed medicines. The distribution of around Lm22 million worth of medicines and medical devices costs the government around Lm1 million a year. Although pharmacies will be remunerated for the distribution of medicines, the ministry spokesman said he could not disclose how much this would cost the government before the agreement was signed.