A drug that reduces painful acid in the stomach is again available from Pharmacy of Your Choice outlets following complaints it had been out of stock for months.

Patients said they had been unable to get hold of Omeprazole for 12 weeks and when they did they had to pay for it themselves.

However, a Health Ministry spokesman said the medicinal capsules had only been unavailable at POYC central stores since July 22 and were back in stock by the end of last week.

“The local agent supplying the order was late in delivery and, in the interim, the department secured limited urgent stocks from two other suppliers and directed them to all entities, including POYC pharmacies,” he said.

“We have also analysed the stock available in the community pharmacies under the POYC scheme and this shows that there are a number which still have stocks that are being redistributed evenly across all entities.”

There was also an urgent delivery of fresh stocks available for immediate redistribution last Thursday, the spokesman said.

The Government would ensure availability until the regular consignment arrived by mid-September, he added.

One patient said that, for weeks, his POYC supplier had told him Omeprazole was out of stock under the system providing free medicine but could be purchased from the same pharmacy.

A person who uses the drug said yesterday POYC pharmacies were told to ration the supplies and he was given a two-week supply instead of the usual two months.