Recently, in Parliament, Labour MP Marie Louise Coleiro asked about the out-of-stock medicines at the Gozo General Hospital with special reference to Lescol tabs. In her reply, Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono revealed that during the months of February and March 2010, the dispensary at the Gozo General Hospital needed 84,000 Lescol tabs to be enough to satisfy its clients. In fact in February 47,700 Lescol were needed while up to end of March, 28,500 were supplied and 7,800 tabs were still needed.

Lescol is used to treat high cholesterol, a condition that can lead to heart attack, stroke and vascular disease. My main query is not about the out-of-stock medicines but why Gozitan clients needed 84,000 Lescol tabs for only two months. Do clients in our sister island Malta need the same relative percentage of this medicine? If not, why?

If this is the real situation in Gozo then the Gozitans should be informed and even alerted about how to control or postpone this high cholesterol level so that they will live a healthier life.