Dementia sufferers are to start receiving free medicine on the national health service.

In February the condition was included in Schedule V, known as karta safra, a list of conditions and illnesses for which sufferers are entitled to medicine without charge.

However, the medicines have only just become available.

Those in stock at the Government dispensary will be given for free, while applications are being received for those that are still unavailable to allow the Health Department to carry out the necessary investigations.

It is estimated that 4,500 people in Malta suffer from dementia. Only about 500 can afford treatment and even these often use the Malta Community Chest Fund, according to a study by EU-wide NGO Alzheimer Europe.

Last week, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced that dementia sufferers in Malta would start receiving an expensive medicine for free.

He was answering a question by a doctor about the medication Axura, which costs about €500 a month. Dr Gonzi said the medicine had been approved and, from this week, consultants could apply on their patients’ behalf.