Brussels is urging Maltese authorities to review the free-medicine schedule to ensure the medicines on it are equivalent to those supplied freely in other member states.
EU rules preclude the European Commission from interfering in the way Malta’s health system is administered but it said the review was needed.
Malta may be one of the most generous health systems in the EU, where numerous treatments are provided for free, but certain drugs and remedies, particularly the most expensive, are still not being included in Schedule V. They include treatments for conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, medication for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, as well as for post-menstrual osteoporosis.
In contrast, although many health systems in the EU are not totally free, they still refund these treatments, some to a very high degree.
The Sunday Times recently reported that Malta and Latvia remained the only two European countries where dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers were not reimbursed for the treatment that could delay the disease’s onset.
Raising the issue at the European Parliament, Louis Grech, Labour’s head of delegation in Brussels, urged the Commission to intervene on the issue.
He said in the light of the Commission’s priorities concerning health and the reduction of inequality of access to medicine, the EU executive should take the necessary steps to put an end to this unfair situation, which was violating the rights and needs of patients in Malta.
Mr Grech also asked the Commission to urge Malta to review and update the conditions and diseases listed for free medicine under Schedule V and ensure Maltese patients have the same access to medicine and treatment of their condition as others in different member states.
Although sympathising with Mr Grech’s requests, the Commission admitted it could not intervene directly as national health systems did not fall under its remit according to the EU treaties.
“The Commission cannot interfere with the organisation of national health insurance schemes, including decisions to refund specific treatments,” Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani said in his reply.
However, he said the Commission was fully aware of the challenges raised by the variety of pricing and reimbursement systems in the EU and issued a series of recommendations to all its member states, including Malta.
These include ensuring “pricing and reimbursement policies (of medicines and treatments) achieve the common goals of timely and equitable access to medicines for European patients, control of pharmaceutical expenditure and reward for innovation”.