Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1139344
19 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 JULY 2019 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications HIV retroviral pills stock I would like to bring to your attention that the Pharmacy Of Your Choice (POYC) Unit is currently unable to give out the full two months' supplies of HIV medication for the antiretrovi- ral therapy. For some unspecified reason – most probably due to bad planning – the most common antiretroviral pills are almost out of stock at POYC, leading to the situation that HIV infected peo- ple are given a two-weeks-supply only. In the middle of peak season for outbound tourism or travelling abroad in general, outpatients residing in Malta have no other source for getting an appropriate supply of medication and no other choice than to accept this situation. In my personal situation, getting pills for two weeks only – although a full supply for two months was expected as usual – means, that in case of possible urgent business travels I would only have the following choices: • rejecting enquiries to go abroad for doing business – in order to get more pills as soon as they're available again – which would lead to losing income, or; • accepting enquiries to go abroad for doing business which would lead to an interruption of the antiretroviral therapy after the two weeks' supply ends. As a result, another therapy would have to be started completely from scratch – with all its side-effects for the patient and leading to much higher cost for the Maltese health sys- tem! However, for any outpatient in any situation it is an absolutely unaccepta- ble, additional burden to ask those af- fected to go to Mater Dei to get medi- cation even more often than necessary. We're busy, we're working, we don't want to waste any additional (half-) days off work just because POYC is acting unprofessionally. My questions are: How can POYC plan so short- sighted although the Unit knows very well how many people are permanently entitled to collect their two months' supply six times a year? Why has no one at POYC informed entitled people beforehand, that the shortage of antiretroviral medication supply could affect them and their pos- sible travel plans? Why is POYC on the other hand very strict with giving out antiretrovi- ral pills a few weeks before a personal stock ends so that an infected person has some planning security? When will this totally unacceptable, unprofessional situation be addressed? These questions should be answered by POYC CEO Celia Falzon, who was named at Mater Dei Pharmacy as the responsible person to get in touch with. Name and address Supplied Reports of rat infestation I refer to the news items published online on the 1st and 2nd July 2019, whereby it was alleged that the Park Hotel has a problem with rats and is infested with such vermin, a claim I hereby categorically deny. The Park Hotel does not have and never had a problem with rats or any other pest or vermin for that matter. The hotel has always been regularly serviced by Comtec, a leading pest control specialist, that confirmed that there has never been a rat infestation. This has also been confirmed by the health authorities which have been invited to inspect the hotel by the own- ers, an inspection which was carried out. In addition, kindly note that the part of the judgement mentioning rats is just a reproduction of the reply filed by the MTA to the warrant of pro- hibitory, so much so that rats are only mentioned under the heading 'Rat ir- risposta ta' l-Awtorita ta' Malta Dwar it-Turizmu'. As you should know, in all civil judgements, before the Court makes its considerations, it reproduces the plain- tiff's application and the defendant's reply. This allegation did not result during the proceedings, so much so that Court, in its deliberations, did not even refer to it and the word rat or rats is not mentioned anywhere else in the judgement. Marisa Camilleri, Park Hotel