It was “scandalous” that the Labour government was favouring patients who were “close to the party’s core” over others through the Pharmacy of Your Choice system, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday.
“This is not only discrimination against Nationalists but also against Labourites. Only those Labourites who are part of the party’s core are being favoured... we have a government that should be ashamed of itself,” he said during a PN political event held in Mosta.
It was the first in the PN’s series of outdoor political activities to be organised in various localities in the run-up to the May 24 MEP elections. On Monday the party launched its campaign with the slogan Malta Aħjar (A better Malta).
We have a government that should be ashamed of itself
Yesterday, Dr Busuttil said that under the Labour government the problem of out-of-stock medicines had become worse.
Apart from this, the Labour government created a new problem – the government through the ministry and the POYC office was sending medicines to specific people according to their political colour.
He called on voters to send a clear message that this was not acceptable when they cast their vote during the MEP elections.
The subject was raised earlier by pharmacist Denise Ellul who said that, last November, she noticed there were cases when the POYC office was sending medicines for specific patients.
Her colleagues confirmed they too had noticed this – a situation later acknowledged by the Chamber of Pharmacists.
She said she knew of patients who took one pill instead of two to save on their pills. Apart from that, the workload of pharmacists increased as patients went to pharmacies more regularly to ask if their medicines had arrived.
Dr Busuttil stressed that it was important to vote during the MEP elections – that way voters could choose an MEP they trusted and send a message to the Labour government if they felt betrayed or let down.
He said this campaign was not easy for the PN as the party had limited funds and it came after an electoral defeat. But the PN would not give up
“We will not give up because our work is heartfelt... and we will work to gain people’s trust as, that way, we will have a better Malta,” he said.