The Health Department’s free medicine service is like the Arriva bus service: both have positive points to commend them but you can never be certain you will get the service when you need it and, for an essential service, that is as bad as it can get.

Much too often, free medicines are found to be out of stock when one tries to collect them under the Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme, or from the main pharmacy at Mater Dei Hospital. So much so that the latter has taken to advising people to check that medicines are in stock before going to the hospital.

What is even more annoying is that most of these medicines, some of which are manufactured locally, are on sale from the same pharmacies where one tries unsuccessfully to get them free.

So, what is happening here? Are the procurers consciously under-stocking, perhaps in an attempt to save on a stretched budget? Are they ordering medicine from unreliable sources which do not meet deadlines? Or is the administration of this particular health service just incapable of ensuring that there is always an uninterrupted supply of approved free medicines?

The matter needs seriously looking into by whoever is responsible.