Now that at last we are being made to come face to face with the realities of life, I believe that there are certain measures that must be taken to mitigate against the shock of no longer expecting the state to provide us with everything for free.

We all know, whether we care to admit or not, that the free provision of drugs cannot be sustained, in the face of ever more sophisticated drugs and the soaring cost to government resources.

The procurement of drugs to our islands needs a fresh look as to the wisdom of paying importers and pharmacies a fixed percentage.

In practice, this means that importers and chemists have a vested interest in importing drugs at the top end of the price range; the higher the price, the higher the profits derived there from.

We need to introduce to our country an element of competition by allowing and encouraging a supermarket approach to the procurement of drugs. I have in mind the drug stores in the UK, which specialise in supplying generic drugs at a remarkable saving to the consumer. Needless to say that quality standards are maintained by the strict adherence to conformity and the trade description act.

A liberal approach to the granting of permits to new pharmacies will also be conducive to fair competition. In this day and age, it simply makes no sense to inhibit a new pharmacy from setting up wherever it likes.

There is no logical sense to treat pharmacies any different from any other competing business, as long as the same standards are rigorously upheld.

Part of an existing supermarket can be run as a drug store, as long as a qualified chemist is in charge of the operation. The public must be protected and be provided with affordable drugs – cartels and cosy arrangements with the same government to the detriment of the consumer must come to an end.

Only then will the government be justified to catering only for deserving social cases, instead of the current wasteful and hugely expensive system.

Victor Spiteri

Attard