Joe Aquilina-St John, Mellieha
Open letter to Health Minister
On December 9, I went to the much lauded 'Pharmacy of my Choice' to collect my blood pressure pills and was duly told that one of them - Amlodipine, which I have to take daily - was "out of stock".
The chemist also pointed out that the pills were available for purchase, and could also be available at government clinics or Mater Dei hospital.
As I needed them, I bought a month's supply and have been back to the chemist on a weekly basis to see if stock has been delivered. A month later, I am still waiting. So, from Mellieha I have to drive round to government clinics to try and get my supply.
I appreciate that you have been in charge of the nation's health for only a short time, but important/vital medicines were also out of stock when you were finance minister. So can you please explain to me whether this situation arises from the fact that the government does not pay suppliers and owes them millions of euros? I have every sympathy with the importers of medicines: any trader worth his salt would stop supplying customers if they don't pay.
Or perhaps the government cannot afford to pay, seeing as it has carelessly allowed more than a billion euros to slip through its fingers in uncollected tax, VAT, and so on.
Meanwhile, I hope my Amlodipine pills arrive before I take the long journey to the Addolorata.
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Dr Francis Saliba
Jan 12th 2009, 07:05
@Demseys
Thank you for staying away and giving the natives a better chance of receiving the great number of free drugs for which they have been making contributions throughout their life!
@Gerard Cassar
Capsules are not covered in "plastic" but in a coating which dissolves in the stomach/gut and does not cause any "suffering".
@Igalea
With the cost of fuel, driving down from Mallieha to Mater Dei and back would be nearly as expensive as buying some medicines from the local chemist.
Phil Humphries
Jan 11th 2009, 21:58
@ Mr & Mrs M. Dempsey.
I don't know how you have the affrontery to write about what you perceive as Malta's shortcomings when the UK 's violent, immoral, drug-dependent society is daily degenerating to ever lower levels of depravity. This proud Country you have chosen to insult is the home of very many fine people whom I am proud to call my friends and neighbours. Conversely, your smug, supercilious, uncharitable, I'm better than you attitude makes me ashamed to be British. I am delighted that people like you are choosing not to become a drain on Malta's Health Service resources; Please stay where you are, enjoy your free medicines, but don't forget to keep your doors and windows securely locked and pray to God for protection and a long, healthy, cold and wet retirement. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying what was recently voted 'the best climate in the world'
Jonathan Zammit
Jan 11th 2009, 21:31
@Mr.&Mrs.M.Demsey
With regards to your comment 'maybe its ok for your people but not good enough for us British who are used to better treatment and we have got the best national health service in the world', is this some kind of bizarre joke? Britain - Best national health service in the world???!!! Do you live in the Britain, where MRSA is endemic, where more than one million patients are still waiting longer than a year for treatment, where health-care spending as a share of gross domestic product is the second lowest in Europe. Is this the same Britain you live in? - 'Britain was described by the study as "the poor relation" of European health-care.' if I may quote your esteemed Daily Telegraph.
Mr.&Mrs.M.Demsey, I think you're mistaken, you don't live in Britain, well at least not the same Britain I live in!
Mr.&Mrs.M.Demsey
Jan 11th 2009, 16:01
Reading all the neagative comments below, one wonders why do our country men from Britain want to retire in Malta? when we were thinking of coming to spend our retirement in Malta i read alot of newspapers regarding your medical side of things, ie tablets and so on, and you know what judgeing by the comments below i thank god we stayed put. We have friends in Gozo and also on the main island most wouldn't give it a second thought regarding the handling of patients, not forgetting also the cost of medicines is beyound a joke. No but no thanks don't call us we'll call you maybe its ok for your people but not good enough for us British who are used to better treatment and we have got the best national health service in the world.
t.rizzo
Jan 11th 2009, 15:08
@ Igalea
True that the pharmacy of your choice scheme was a non starter but the point raised here is that the patient chose to pay for the medicine when he could have saved the money by collecting the pills from Mater Dei. Just for the record, I live in an area where the pharmacy of your choice scheme was never implemented.
Gerard Cassar
Jan 11th 2009, 12:44
Curious to know whether Lescol 40mg are available at any government dispoensary as well as Mater Dei or St. Luke.
They are available for sale at 30Euros per packet of 28 at any private pharmacy but not in government establishments. One is told to take double dose of 20mg, but they do not inform you that they create sufferings because of the plastic enclosing the powder.
Pharmacy of your choice presupposes availing oneself of the pharmacy stock that is then compensated by the Government either through paying the patient or the pharmacist.
lgalea
Jan 11th 2009, 12:23
t.rizzo
Isn't that a reflection of a pharmacy of your choice shambles that Gonzipn implemented?
lgalea
Jan 11th 2009, 12:21
They have no money to pay the medicine importers but they have money to award themselves $290 per week salary rise equivalent to €15080 per year without resorting to industrial action as children of lesser Gods have to!
t.rizzo
Jan 11th 2009, 10:55
@J.Aquilina St.John
You said yourself that "The chemist also pointed out that the pills were available for purchase, and could also be available at government clinics or Mater Dei hospital."
So you did not have to purchase them. All you had to do was to go to the hospital where you could have collected them for free.