Pharmacy scheme kicks off in Mellieħa today

7Patients from Mellieħa will be able to pick up their medicines from their chosen pharmacy as from today as the Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme gets off the ground.

The scheme will then be introduced to Naxxar, Qawra and Buġibba next month and in Mosta and St Paul's Bay in March.

Ray Xerri, the officer in charge of the scheme's planning and implementation, told The Times that plans are still under way to have all patients entitled to free medicines picking them up from their chosen pharmacy by year's end.

However, he said there is still a lack of human resources. Last November, Dr Xerri had told The Times that this was having an effect on the preparations for the scheme and things were about two to three weeks behind schedule.

He said patients in the Mosta catchment area have now been registered with their preferred pharmacy and their details are being keyed into the database.

Meanwhile, patients entitled to free medicines and who currently pick them up from the Gżira Health Centre or the community pharmacies in Attard, Baħrija, Dingli, Gżira, Mtarfa, Msida, Paceville, Pembroke, Rabat, St Andrews, San Ġwann, Sliema, Swieqi, St Julians, Ta' Giorni and Ta' Xbiex can collect registration forms from the Gżira or Rabat health centres or from the pharmacies in those localities enlisted in the scheme.

Registration is open until March 15 and patients need to take along their identity card, their medical cards and the forms that entitle them to free medicines. The form needs to be first filled in by the pharmacist in charge of the pharmacy with which the patient wants to register, followed by the doctor, after which the form should be taken back to the pharmacy.

Contacted yesterday, Chamber of Pharmacists president Maryanne Sant Fournier said the system was working well. She said more value should be given to the work of pharmacists.

She added it was important that adequate human resources were provided by the government to ensure that the system continued to function well so that it could be further extended.