Women requesting the morning-after pill should not be made to go through the extra hurdle of seeing a doctor to get the contraceptive, according to Medicines Authority chief Anthony Serracino Inglott.

Pharmacists should be free to supply the pill over the counter, Prof. Serracino Inglott told this newspaper.

He was reacting to comments last week from the Medical Council, which argued that the pill should only be prescribed by doctors and not made available over the counter.

A report with recommendations on whether the morning-after pill should be licensed or not will be tabled in Parliament on October 10. Parliament’s family, social and health affairs committees have in recent months heard the views of professionals and lobbyists on both sides of the debate.

Recommendations on licensing the MAP will be tabled in Parliament in October

“Our position remains but we have been looking at the scientific data available and we have heard what the Medical Council had to say,” Prof. Serracino Inglott said, adding that it seemed the debate was now mainly on whether the pill should be sold with or without a prescription.

The discussion was sparked by a group of women who, in a judicial protest against the State in June, asked for the pill to be legalised. The protest, filed by the Women’s Rights Foundation, was signed by 102 women aged between 16 and 62.

The move sparked controversy, with those in favour of making the pill available arguing that it would be a breach of women’s rights if they did not have access to it. Those against argued that the pill could be abortifacient and should not be licensed.

Prof. Serracino Inglott shot down claims from the Medical Council that the contraceptive should be prescribed, adding that pharmacists had the necessary training to determine whether it should be. “When a pharmacist has doubts as to whether someone should be supplied the morning-after pill, then yes, they should consult with a doctor.

“This is not only about the morning-after pill, it’s with every other medication. It’s standard practice,” he said, adding that in most cases, it was not fair that patients had to be made to go through the unnecessary hurdle of going to a doctor for the pill.

Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli, under whose remit the Medicines Authority falls, has said she agrees with the morning-after pill and pledged to take the regulator’s advice on the matter.

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