Taxpayers will have to pay much more if the Nationalist Party delivers its “latest version” of the proposal to refund patients who buy their free medicines from private pharmacies, according to Labour candidate Chris Fearne.

The Nationalist Party should publish the estimated cost of this proposal

Dr Fearne said the Government bought medicines at a much cheaper price than pharmacies.

To give a few examples, he said, a generic medicine for autism cost the Government €1.44, while private pharmacies forked out €20.36. Valsartan, a medicine for high blood pressure, cost the Government 51c while pharmacies spent over €28.

Dr Fearne gave the examples during a press conference in reaction to a PN proposal stating patients entitled to free medicine which is out of stock would be able to buy the medication from a pharmacy and get refunded.

He said the Nationalist Party should publish the estimated cost of this proposal.

PL health spokeswoman Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said that, over the past weeks, the PN had come out with different versions of how its proposal would work and how much would be refunded.

Initially Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil had said the Government would refund the value at which the medicine was bought, she said.

Later, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said an agreement would be reached with pharmacies so patients would not have to pay.

In another version, Dr Gonzi said the refunds would be given to the pharmacy and not the patient and the value would be calculated according to a fixed price.

Health Minister Joseph Cassar said the Government was willing to discuss with the main stakeholders the best system of reimbursement.

He said the PL proposal to deliver medicines to elderly people’s homes went against the very concept of the pharmacy of your choice scheme – to build a patient-pharmacist relationship.

The PL refused to recognise what the Government had achieved in the health sector, Dr Cassar said, adding it increased the types of medicines given for free to 1,300.

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