Memorandum of understanding on 'pharmacy of your choice' signed

People who had to queue at the Mosta Health Centre for their free medicinals will soon be able to obtain it from the pharmacy of their choice after a memorandum of understanding on how the scheme would work out in practice was signed yesterday between representatives of the Chamber of Pharmacists, the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, and the government.

The signing took place in the presence of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at the Auberge de Castille in Valletta.

Dr Gonzi said the signing followed weeks of intensive discussions involving Health Minister Louis Deguara, Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Tonio Fenech, staff from both ministries, and representatives of the GRTU for pharmacy owners, and the Chamber of Pharmacists.

The scheme is meant to enable people to cut down on travelling and waiting time, and lead to better use of medicines as pharmacists give professional advice each time people go to collect them.

Mr Fenech said Mosta had been identified for the pilot project where it will run for over four months.

During this period, logistical problems would be ironed out and an agreement defining the level of service drawn up for every pharmacy that opts to join the scheme.

An agreement would then be signed with the pharmacies to render the service for five years.

During the pilot project, residents of Naxxar, Mellieha, Mgarr, St Paul's Bay and Gharghur which are areas serviced by the Mosta Health Centre, would be making use of the pharmacy of their choice while Mosta residents would still call at the health centre.

The government will shortly issue a call to identify which pharmacies want to join the scheme and patients will be asked to identify the pharmacy of their choice.

Medicinals would be prepared in the central government pharmacy and handed out to the pharmacies from where the patients would collect them.

GRTU director-general Vince Farrugia urged pharmacies to join the scheme so that people would have the widest choice possible. Pharmacies will be paid Lm8 annually for every patient who makes use of their service. Patients will not pay any fees.

The scheme would be monitored by a joint commission involving the Chamber of Pharmacists, the GRTU and the government.

A pharmacist told The Sunday Times yesterday that because of a lack of interaction between patients and pharmacists under the current system, some patients continued to take medicines which they no longer needed.

In one particular case, a patient continued to take antibiotics for two years when he was meant to take them only for two weeks. Through the new system, patients may also be advised about new and alternative medicinals.