The rent payable on the disused factory that will serve as the government’s centralised medicine storage facility will be considerably less than the rent being paid on one of the three premises currently being used, Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia revealed this morning.

Dr Farrugia was speaking during a public consultation meeting on the Pharmacy of Your Choice (POYC) system as well as on a White Paper on food supplements, which was held at the Zebbug state secondary school.

Presently, the government relies on three facilities – in Madliena, in Marsa and in St Luke’s Hospital – for the storage of medicines prior to distribution to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across the country under the POYC scheme.

But Dr Farrugia had announced that the government was converting a disused factory in the San Gwann industrial estate, close to Mater Dei Hospital, into a centralised storage facility, to serve this purpose instead.

Malta Enterprise, he told members of the public this morning, had asked for an annual rent of €200,000 for the factory, but the final negotiated cost was of €57,000, including VAT.

In contrast, the annual rent on the Marsa stores currently stands at €250,000. This lease is set to be terminated next month, when the migration to the new stores is complete.

Dr Farrugia noted that the Madliena medical stores, which are former British-era barracks, occupy a prime site that would be freed up for redevelopment.

The minister also explained that medical files held in Marsa are being digitised to save on the need of storage space.