The Government is working on a plan to eradicate once and for all the “endemic” problem of out-of-stock medicines by revamping the procurement system which has been in operation so far, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today.

In a meeting with the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry this morning in Castille, Dr Muscat said the government was committed to finding an end to this phenomenon and to a system of procurement which was wasting a lot of taxpayers’ money.

At the same time, the government was committed to the principle of the provision of free healthcare and free medicines, he said.

“We want as many stakeholders as possible on board as we embark on this process of change. The present system is leading to wastage of taxpayers’ money and we want to see how the private sector can be roped into a new and efficient system. We cannot accept a situation where medicines are out-of-stock when there already is a projection of how much of this product is required. We are not looking for excused but for solutions so that the consumer is served better,” Dr Muscat said.