The Malta Eczema Society has collected 7,437 signatures for its petition urging the Prime Minister to include chronic severe eczema in Schedule V, a list of conditions that entitles patients to free medication.

Michael Boffa, society president and consultant dermatologist, yesterday presented the petition to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Health Minister Louis Deguara urging that action be taken.

The petition read: "On behalf of eczema sufferers we thank you for your attention and trust that you will be able to intervene personally to address the matter and ensure that eczema sufferers are given the assistance that they deserve."

Inclusion of eczema in Schedule V will entitle sufferers to free medication, as is the case with other chronic diseases, and as a result remedy a serious moral and financial injustice that patients with eczema have suffered for a long time, the petition argues.

The society has campaigned on this issue for several years, so far without success. Four years ago the society was promised a review of the existing situation, but nothing materialised.

The society then wrote to Dr Gonzi asking him to look into the matter prior to the last budget, but no reply was forthcoming and no measure was announced.

Frustrated by this silence, and not willing to give up, the society launched the petition in a bid to push the authorities to hear their voice.

The petition has the full support of the Malta Association of Dermatology and Venereology, which represents local specialists in the field, as well as the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

At a recent press conference Joe Pace, general secretary of the European academy, had said Malta was the only one of 12 countries he had looked into which afforded absolutely no financial assistance to eczema sufferers or a tax break on the medication they bought.

Dr Boffa yesterday described the meeting with the Prime Minister and Minister as a good one and told The Times that the society now hoped its concerns would be addressed.

"Dr Gonzi understood our situation and promised this issue will be a priority in the next legislature," he said.

"He explained to us that there was a need to review the system of Schedule V overall, however, with a view to including eczema in some way. It would not be just a question of adding eczema on the list, which makes sense," Dr Boffa added.