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| TOP NEWS | Sunday, 12 August 2007 ‘Our pharmacy licences are now safe and more valuable than ever’ Pharmacy owners have been gloating over the effective ban on new pharmacy licences in the wake of the Pharmacy of Your Choice agreement signed with the Prime Minister two weeks ago: a fact which confirms – if any confirmation were needed – that the pharmacies’ market is a closed shop.
“Our licences are now safe (and more valuable than ever) as the old legal notices liberalising the quotas of pharmacies per population have been repealed,” wrote the pharmacy owners’ representative and GRTU president, Mario Debono, in an email to his members, in which he attached a copy of the agreement. The message, which infuriated applicants for new pharmacy licences, assumes added significance in view of around 300 pending applications for new pharmacies to open around the islands, despite government promises to liberalise the market. In fact, according to the agreement there can only be one pharmacy for every 2,500 people in any locality, which means that only another 25 new pharmacies can open in Malta and Gozo. For the first four months, the scheme will be introduced as a pilot project in Mosta to enable the authorities to identify logistical problems and to set the service levels that will be required from the pharmacies that will join the scheme. A call for applications will then be issued for pharmacies to join the scheme. If in a particular locality there are no pharmacies willing to join the POYC scheme, then the Government will have the right to issue a licence for a new pharmacy in that locality subject to that pharmacy joining that scheme. According to official population estimates, a new pharmacy can be opened in the following localities: Siggiewi, Fgura, Vittoriosa, Kalkara, Kercem, Zebbug Gozo, Marsaskala, Marsaxlokk, Qala, Safi, San Gwann, Sannat, Xaghra, and Xewkija; while two pharmacies can be opened in Mdina, Zabbar, Fontana, Ghasri, and San Lawrenz Gozo. Pharmacy licence applicants, however, said that most of the localities where they could open their outlets would not be feasible, either because they are remote or because they are already well-served. Incidentally, Debono, who signed the agreement on behalf of the GRTU members, has been under police investigation and the subject of a magisterial inquiry since December, after the authorities were alerted to a suspicious consignment of 400 packets of fake medicinals imported by his company. Debono – who is also a shareholder in three pharmacies – insisted he had nothing to do with the importation of the drugs confiscated from his warehouse, as his company was only acting as a break bulk operation to re-export the drug out of Europe.
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NEWS | Sunday, 12 August 2007 PN support in Gozo in free-fall Bortex fires Maltese, hires Chinese Forget the bedpans, let’s talk travel plans… ‘Our pharmacy licences are now safe and more valuable than ever’ AFM calls off search for missing migrants Musicians give hope to immigrants Mangion stands by Pender Place sale Mangion stands by Pender Place sale European gays appoint Maltese activist as policy officer Ostreopsis not an alien species Rockers, relax – cult programme will be back MMA official bluffed with junior to corrupt him Mistake paves way for Marsa hazardous waste incinerator PBS schedule ‘turned into auction’ UTV fracas: Former director to sue priest for libel To Gozo, and beyond Rector wants a ‘Gozitan Lourdes’ in Ta’ Pinu The road to Smart City – over 600m of tarmac through arable land |