Pharmacy-of-your choice scheme to go on trial soon

Patients who collect their free medicines from the Gzira state pharmacy will soon no longer need to queue for them but will be able to pick them up from the pharmacy of their choice.

This pilot project will kick off at the beginning of August and is expected to go on for some four months before the system, which has been in the pipeline for 20 years, is extended to the whole of Malta.

Mario Debono, president of the pharmacy owners' section of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, said the pilot project would be introduced two weeks after the final agreement is signed with the government, probably next week.

At first glance, the advantage of such a scheme is that people will be able to pick up their medicines from a pharmacy near their home or workplace.

But, Mr Debono and Chamber of Pharmacists president Maryanne Sant Fournier believe the advantages go beyond eliminating the need to queue, sometimes for hours.

Speaking to The Times, the two explained that the scheme should result in a better service to patients.

The current system, they said, consisted of little more than a postal service: Patients picked up a package of medicines without receiving an adequate pharmaceutical service.

Mr Debono stressed that primary health care should start at the locality with the first medical advice given by the pharmacist, who could then refer patients for further medical help.

Mrs Sant Fournier said the new system would put a patient-centred service into motion.

"Most of the patients entitled to free medicines suffer from chronic illnesses and, therefore, need a lot of attention to make sure they are taking all the necessary medication at the right doses and that there are no adverse interactions with other medicines or herbal remedies. This is something that a pharmacist can keep an eye on."

Although there were some highly-trained pharmacists in the public sector, the big number of patients they saw on a daily basis made it difficult for them to establish this intensive pharmacist-patient relationship.

Government pharmacists would not be out of a job, they stressed. "They are badly needed as ward pharmacists at St Luke's and Mater Dei hospitals," Mr Debono said. The system is also expected to reduce wastage.

Some patients might no longer need a type of medicine, or might need a review of their prescription, but this was not taking place promptly because of the lack of interaction between the pharmacist and the patient.

"Pharmacists need to be given the opportunity to intervene if they believe that a patient needs his prescription reviewed," Mrs Sant Fournier said.

Although pharmacies can opt out of the scheme, Mr Debono said he did not expect more than a handful to do so.

While pharmacies will be paid Lm8 a year for every patient who makes use of their service, patients will not pay a fee. However, Mr Debono believes that a token payment by patients might help cut down on wastage when patients continue to hoard medicines they no longer need.

Pharmacists are hoping that in future all the medical and medicinal records will be available on an extensive IT system.

"That would help pharmacists form a profile of their patients, enabling them to better know their needs," Mrs Sant Fournier said, adding that at the moment, a pharmacist could not be certain of all the medications a patient was taking.