Pharmacists to take industrial action

Anthony Borg

Apr 21st 2009, 10:02

This has nothing to do with Pharmacy Technicians! The strike is due to lack of Pharmacists not Pharm Techs. How come the Pharm Techs have never striked in the last 15 or more years due to lack of Pharmacy Technicians???!!! Pharm Techs also have their own representatives at UHM. If they do not gring it up with UHM, you can not blame UHM. Rarely do Pharm. Techs resign from the government sector!! Infact there are Pharm. Techs in their 50's and even 60's still with the government. The average age of Pharmacists is probably just 30-35years and resignations are every year. This says alot!!
Anyway it is irrelative in this issue since a Pharm Tech can never substitute a Pharmacist, so if there is a lack of Pharmacists no amount of Pharm. Techs will solve the current situation. The Government needs to provide a package to Pharmacists so that the expierenced ones remain and new ones decide to join.

Paul Borg

Apr 18th 2009, 16:58

The pharmacists themselves had created such a situation and now they are taking industrial actions against the Government because of such. I remember friends of mine frequenting ‘unsuccessfully’ the course of pharmacy technician for a 4yrs + duration (between 1990/95) when originally it had to be only 2yrs, just because of disputes between the Institute of Health Care (IHC) and the Pharmacy Board that was dominated by members of the Chamber of Pharmacists. So if there is shortage of staff within the sector, why not having more learning opportunities for example evening classes to achieve the traditional warrant of Pharmacy Technicians???

Oscar Cassar

Apr 18th 2009, 08:28

UHM… Shame on you… you had been a puppet in the hands of certain Pharmacists for a long time against other UHM members (the Pharmacy Technicians at the time of Morris Agius) instead of working for the Pharmaceutical sector at a time when you suppose to have had a vision of Malta within the EU. Therefore you suppose to have knew of the opportunities that would have come up with such a membership and the shortage of pharmacists if we had to be found unprepared.

Oscar Cassar

Apr 18th 2009, 08:14

Only till some years ago (before 1995), a person could have done exams for a warrant as a Pharmacy Technician even after attending evening classes or private lessons after registering with the Pharmacy Board and having a number of hours of ‘working’ practice in a private pharmacy. Now when we are suppose to encourage more the life long learning and create more educational opportunities, such opportunities seemed to have vanished while quite a number of those registered with the Pharmacy Board as ‘students’ or even others awarded with the warren, have chosen other sectors. What a pity and loss of experienced personnel… It was only recently that the course of Pharmacy Technician was enlisted with the MCAST and a number of students ending the first course that was at if a taboo for a number of years. Please create again such opportunities of life long learning where a person can obtain such a warrant as a result of an evening course if we really acknowledge the importance of the sector to make for the damage done in the recent past.

Silvan Cutajar

Apr 17th 2009, 20:47

And this action is ok. No one complaining. Funny how things work out!

C Micallef

Apr 17th 2009, 16:56

THE TRUTH IS COMING OUT!

Prosit Oscar Cassar. Yes you're right. For about 10 years the course of pharmacy technicians became extinct! Now the same groups of pharmacists who brought this downfall of pharmacy technicians have stopped the government (way back in mid 90's) from liberalizing the private pharmacies and the same groups of selfish pharmacists have lobbied extensively for many years to convince the government to start the Pharmacy of Your Choice Scheme (POYC). Fool is that person who trusts these nasty pharmacists.
And the story goes on & on! The joke with UHM is that these poor government pharmacy people always remain in the same s*** and the same union cooperated with these nasty groups of pharmacists to bring to an end their existance!!!! But God knows what He's doing because the people where the POYC is presently running, after being conditioned to vomit all sorts of things against government pharmacies, have ended up collecting most of their medicines from government pharmacies. :)

Oscar Cassar

Apr 17th 2009, 14:27

Till some years ago, most of the government pharmacies where being run by Pharmacy Technicians (that also used to be represented by the UHM) and only a few Pharmacists to make the required supervision. But since 1995 certain Pharmacists backstabbed such a category of workers, to gain more importance within the sector, at a time when quite a number of Pharmacists were graduating each year. This was done without taking in consideration the new opportunities within the private sector after the Malta’s entry within the EU. Now this shortage of pharmacists is the result of those actions during those years and not because of the Government.