A number of women with advanced breast cancer are not receiving the expensive Herceptin drug for free, The Sunday Times has learnt.
The first batch of free Herceptin arrived in Malta last December 23, and was described as "a Christmas present" by a woman who desperately needed it.
The government had included the potentially life-saving drug among the medicines it gives to patients.
But it has now become apparent that the drug, which improves women's chances of fighting an aggressive type of breast cancer, is not provided for free to everyone.
Action For Breast Cancer Foundation has written to Health Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar to voice its concern.
"We are not happy with this situation," foundation co-founder Esther Sant said.
Breast Care Support Group secretary Anne Micallef said it was unfair not to offer the treatment to women with advanced breast cancer since it could help prolong their life.
In the UK, the drug was approved for advanced breast cancer in 2002, and in 2006 it was approved for early breast cancer. It is estimated that a quarter of breast cancers are responsive to Herceptin.
In the last Budget the government announced a €1.4 million annual allocation for Herceptin. The protocol determines that it is for patients with early breast cancer following surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Joanne*, who is currently battling her fourth breast cancer, is one of the women who is not being offered the treatment for free.
The mother-of-two was fortunate enough to have taken out a comprehensive health insurance policy before she first fell ill seven years ago.
But she worries that the insurance company might decide to stop funding the medication that is keeping her alive.
"What will happen if they decide to stop paying for my treatment? There is no way I can pay for it myself," she said.
She also worries about other women who do not have a health insurance policy. "Are they being handed a death sentence?" she asked.
Herceptin comes with the exorbitant price tag of around €900 per vial, which in some cases needs to be taken every few weeks. Some women have had to mortgage their homes to get the thousands of euros needed to cover the cost.
"You live from one treatment to the next, not knowing where you will be getting the money from for the next dosage. When I started getting the treatment for free, I heaved a big sigh of relief," said one of the patients who had taken out a loan to finance her treatment.
Ms Sant said women were also being made to pay double the amount that the government was charged for each course of treatment.
"We have been pushing for patients to be given the chance to buy it off the government at the reduced price," she said.
Questions sent to the health authorities on May 6 have not been answered.
* Name has been changed