A suspension of the Sunday pharmacy roster during the Christmas shopping period turned out to be a blessing for thousands who required urgent medication when down with flu.
This was confirmed by Mario Debono, head of the pharmacies section within the GRTU – Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises.
“We had a very bad month in the wake of the extraordinary number of influenza cases but, luckily, this outbreak coincided with the suspension of the roster,” he said.
However, Mr Debono cautioned against abolishing the roster for the rest of the year saying it was a means of guaranteeing “a level playing field” in the sector.
He noted that the temporary suspension was only meant to entice customers to buy Christmas gifts such as perfumes from pharmacies close to them. Such arrangements only applied for December and January.
A fair system?
The roster stipulates which pharmacies can open on any particular Sunday, with outlets taking it in turns to feature on the weekly list.
Everyone should take a fair share of the business generated on these particular days
Introduced decades ago, the roster is increasingly under the spotlight in the wake of the relaxation of the Sunday shopping hours.
READ: Sunday shopping restrictions lifted for retail outlets
The GRTU insists pharmacies should not be treated like any other retail outlet.
Mr Debono argued that, in the absence of any restrictions, pharmacies located on the outskirts of towns and villages would no longer open on Sundays because those situated in more central places would attract the bulk of the customers.
He said that, very often, pharmacies opening on Sundays and public holidays were struggling to make ends meet due to the additional expenses incurred.
“We believe everyone should take a fair share of the business generated on these particular days and the roster is a good compromise,” he noted.
He thinks Maltese patients are “lucky” since there was a pharmacy for every 1,200 people, as against the European average of 4,000.
READ: Why this year's flu outbreak is one of the worst in years
Mr Debono raised doubts on the prospect of having pharmacies open on a 24-hour basis, saying that the move would probably not be financially viable.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman told this newspaper the festive period suspension had been introduced in 2014.
“From Mondays to Saturdays, pharmacies may open for unrestricted hours, beyond the minimum stipulated in the regulations. A dialogue with stakeholders is in process to facilitate pharmacies to open for longer hours, mostly over the weekends. This should lead to consumers having better accessibility to pharmacies,” the spokeswoman said.
She added that such measure was also in line with the Labour Party 2017 general election manifesto.