Juan Ameen
Revision of free medicines system to cut abuse
The system of free medicines will be reviewed carefully to reduce and prevent any form of abuse that might take place, Health Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar said.
The Health Department processed 41,000 yellow cards last year, which entitled patients to free medicines for particular conditions such as hypertension.
There were also 18,300 new applications for the yellow card system last year. However, the department plans to review the system carefully to increase transparency and cut any form of abuse.
Dr Cassar, speaking during a press conference listing his secretariat's work, said a more centralised system of entitlement to free medicines would be set up.
On a daily basis, the Outpatient Department had 1,000 appointments, 100 operations are carried out and 11,000 laboratory tests are done.
Speaking about waiting lists, Dr Cassar said these had to be reduced to an acceptable number, which called for a centralised IT management system. A pilot project in the Orthopaedic Department using the centralised system had reduced the waiting list for hip operations by 25 per cent, he added.
Last year, the Health Department focused on the medical staff shortage and recruited 160 nurses. As of this year, nurses who wanted to continue working after turning 61 also had the option to do so, Dr Cassar said. Talks were underway to increase the number of nurses that would allow the use of more operating theatres, he added.
The recently-launched UK-based foundation course in Malta should also help reduce the doctors' brain drain. Dr Cassar explained that Malta lost about 80 per cent of its newly-graduated doctors in the past years. Doctors who graduate in June will be able to start the course.
Family doctors had to be included in the primary health care system and have immediate access to patients' medical records and tests through the electronic patient record, he said.
An advanced copy of the national cancer strategy was drafted and will soon be published. The government is working on a national strategy that will focus on chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
Works on the new oncology ward should start by the end of this year at Mater Dei Hospital, he said.
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lgalea
Mar 27th 2009, 17:19
louise vella We will never get that answer because the government doesn't want the people to get more angry than they presently are at the illegal immigrats.
louise vella
Mar 27th 2009, 15:03
“The system of free medicines will be reviewed carefully to reduce and prevent any form of abuse that might take place, Health Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar said… The department plans to review the system carefully to increase transparency and cut any form of abuse.”
To increase transparency, can Dr Cassar inform the citizens, voters and taxpayers of Malta how much illegal immigrants are costing the Health Department in free medicines and doctors’ time and services? He is NOT allowed to answer that records and statistics are not kept, because if they are not kept they should be.
C.Scerri
Mar 27th 2009, 13:33
Just for the record
There are safety concerns on the use of Plavix - recent studies have shown that no more effective than inexpensive aspirin alone for preventing heart attacks, strokes and heart-disease deaths in high-risk patients, but it can also increase the risk of myocardial infarction especially in genetically susceptible individuals and thos on particular drugs.
C Micallef
Mar 27th 2009, 10:08
PLAVIX , THE MUCH NEEDED DRUG
Hope Plavix becomes approved! People who are truely allergic to Warfarin have to be placed on Plavix as Aspirin alone is too mild. This drug although expensive to buy, is a blessing from God as it does not present potential dangerous interactions as Warfarin does and does not require regular monitoring. This means excellent patient compliance and loads of savings in the long term as Plavix does not require the services of a bleeding nurse, a doctor at ACC clinic and the laboratiory analysis of the blood as required by Warfarin. But sometimes I say to myself ... I am just wasting my time lobbying for Plavix. My hopes are that someday a VIP or his next of kin would unfortunately require this drug and then policies would probably change overnight!
Paul Micallef
Mar 27th 2009, 10:04
Well, finaly, but how is this going to be done??is it going to be a half baked scheme like where you get the medicine from the pharmacy?. are people who earn 20.000 lm a year still get free medicine? what about the illegal emigrants? do they automatically get free medicine?? what contribution did they give towards the economy?? aI am not being raciest but are we not a nation that should first take care of our own??.
The 50c that the MLP introduced was not such a bad idea?? why did the PN open all cannons against it??now that will look pretty stupid if they had to introduce something similar. I am one in favour that the Government cannot continue to feed the people that everything should be free, but this is what you get when you feed bad politics from both sides. Because now how are we going to convince the people that they should pay?