Distributing free medicines through pharmacies is costing three times more than the previous system where patients collected them from hospital.

Private pharmacies receive €40 for every patient entitled to free medicines registered with them and the fee will increase gradually as per agreement, Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said yesterday.

The Health Ministry has ordered an external audit of the scheme that will delve into the procurement, storage and distribution of medicines.

Speaking after accompanying President George Abela on a tour of the POYC offices at St Luke’s Hospital, in Guardamangia, Dr Farrugia said the results of the audit would be out in six weeks’ time.

The audit follows an internal review undertaken by the Health Ministry and a report by the Ombudsman last year.

Dr Farrugia said the external audit would not only give a clear picture of the state of affairs but also map out the changes that had to be made to improve efficiency. It was only after the audit ended that timeframes could be drawn up to start implementing change, he added.

“The audit will not only look at the problem of out-of-stock medicines but also medicine misuse and dead stock,” Dr Farrugia said.

He added there was a debt of €32 million on medicines procured by the health service.

POYC chief executive Roseanne Camilleri said the scheme served 110,000 patients and handled between €1.4 million and €1.6 million in free medicines through 213 community pharmacies.

Dr Abela was presented with a painting by POYC employee Noel Attard for it to be included in the annual charity auction by the Community Chest Fund.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com