News | Sunday, 12 July 2009

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Dalli plans reform of free medicine entitlement

David Darmanin
Government is making plans to revise the ‘pink card’ scheme, currently awarded to 8,030 Maltese households thatww benefit from a long list of free medicines, this newspaper has been told.
A government official confirmed that the Health Department is drawing up a proposal on this issue, which upon finalisation, will be presented to Social Policy Minister John Dalli.
The ministry does not even have an idea of what is being administered and how much the dispensation of these free medicines actually costs.
The revision comes after data collected by the Social Policy Ministry showed that free medicines were being given not only to the underprivileged and the chronically ill.
Since the law was drawn up in 1969 to assist these vulnerable groups, a number of ministerial and departmental concessions were made to extend the list of beneficiaries. And not all these beneficiaries have been necessarily destitute or needy.
In fact, the official revealed that the pink card is also given out to “population groups such as members of some religious orders, members of the police force below the grade of sub-Inspector, members of the Armed Forces, charitable institution inmates, persons injured on duty and a number of government hospital employees.”
The pink card is intended to exclusively benefit persons with a low income, but also those patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, tubercolosis, leprosy and poliomyelitis.
The official said he did not know how many other “special patient groups” besides the chronically ill and low-wage earners were selected to benefit from the schedule.
“Currently there is no legal basis as such and these groups were given access to treatment via administrative practices introduced between 1969 and 1997,” he said.
The ministry does “not have an overall picture of what is administered and the expenditure involved in such a system”.
The official also said he did not have sufficient data to confirm which specific religious orders benefit from the scheme.
The free medicines available from the list for pink card beneficiaries include antimicrobials, antacids, ulcer-healing drugs, anti-spasmodics, anti-emetics, laxatives, rehydration powders, anti-diabetics, vitamins and minerals, anti-inflammatory agents and pain relief drugs, anti-hypertensives, cholesterol-reducing agents, steroids, hormones, anti-epileptics, anti-parkinsonian drugs, anti-psychotics, anxiolytics, anti-depressants, steroid and antimicrobial creams, lotions, drops and ointments, decongestants, anti-asthmatic tablets and inhalers, cough suppressants and anti-histamines,anti-glaucoma treatment, and some food supplements.

ddarmanin@mediatoday.com.mt

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