We have recently witnessed the government’s firm decision to open the market and free it of monopolies (when there was the public transport strike). I too agree that competition is healthy for the customer…

About 10 years ago, Louis Galea, then Social Policy Minister, tried to liberalise the pharmaceutical sector but failed. Hundreds of pharmacy applications for permits to open new pharmacies have been and are still frozen.

If the present government continues with the anti-monopoly policy, how harder would it be to liberalise pharmacies, once private pharmacies take over completely in their hands the government sector of free distribution of medicines?

The present slowdown of the new system has showed that no matter what the government wants (with all due respect), it all depends on the cooperation of the human resource force that is available. All government dispensers know this but did not take advantage of this fact because they kept on working normally without even making a sound!

In an article written by the Chamber of Pharmacists president, Maryanne Sant Fournier, that was published on The Synapse (medical journal) of July 2007, there was (I quote): “the third phase (of the POYC) will entail taking over of the responsibility for the procurement, distribution, packaging…”

Having said all this, I wonder what final fate awaits these poor government employees that were supposed to be defended by UHM and GWU! Can they “all” be absorbed in hospitals? When I say “all”, I’m also referring to those working at the medical stores, besides the health centres.

Can the government offer them, as an option, the possibility of an early retirement scheme as proposed lately to the drydocks workers as part of their privatisation package?

Carmel Micallef

Fgura