Pharmacy owners were miffed over free Tamiflu

Pharmacy owners had protested with the government over a decision to distribute Tamiflu for free despite having been informed of the plans during a meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development last year.

Mario Debono, pharmacy owners' representative in the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, GRTU, raised the issue with Community Care Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea when the government announced last month that Tamiflu would be distributed for free.

Mr Debono argued that pharmacies had been lumped with a stock of antivirals which they could not sell. The medicine costs between €17 and €35 for the patient depending on the dosage prescribed by the doctor.

Notwithstanding the protests, the government went ahead with its plans and from December 21 anybody prescribed the medicine could collect the antiviral for free from government pharmacies and health centres.

Mr Debono confirmed with The Times he was miffed by the government's decision but understood the reasons behind the course of action.

"I protested the decision because pharmacies are stocked with Tamiflu, which is not a cheap medicine. We were left high and dry because the agent would not take it back. I can understand the government's decision in the circumstances but we would have appreciated being given a deadline," Mr Debono said, insisting the whole matter was a "non-story".

However, a secretariat spokesman said Mr Galea had explained the government's Tamiflu plans to the social partners during an MCESD meeting earlier last year.

In line with World Health Organisation recommendations, from December 21 private family doctors have been prescribing Tamiflu to vulnerable people with flu-like symptoms and those who start showing complications.

The health authorities had also announced that antivirals could be picked up from government pharmacies or health centres for free.

They also urged sick people with swine flu to stay at home rather than going themselves to pick up the antivirals and instead send a relative to pick up their medication so as not to risk infecting other people with the influenza virus.