The Health Ministry is currently engaged in an internal discussion with all management levels and the public to implement short, medium and long term changes in procurement and inventory processes.

In a statement this morning, the ministry referred to the Health Commissioner’s own initiative report “Out of Stock Medicines, Medical Materials and Surgical Devices within the Government Sector”.

It said that in April it had concluded its own report “Strategic Plan for the Management of Government Medical Supplies (Procurement, Storage and Distribution)”.

Its objectives were:

* The identification of the factors leading to out-of-stock medicine;

* The centralisation of the present physical dispersal of stores and human resources;

* The splitting up of the current budget in two streams, in order to cater separately for medicines and for equipment;

* The establishment of realistic estimates of demand and supply for the various items;

* The fostering of efficient communication between the various entities related to procurement, storage and distribution;

* The implementation of IT systems related to pharmaceutical services within an inter-operable e-Health framework.

Following this report, the ministry commissioned an autonomous audit by RSM Malta Consulting Ltd.

This report entitled “Review of the Procurement and Inventory Processes”, focused on a review of the procurement and inventory processes with respect to the medical supplies and pharmaceuticals at the ministry, with a view to determine if these were adequately controlled and if they could be made more efficient and effective within the limits and constraints of the existing resources and tools.