Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1426475
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS Emergency contraception difficult to source in Qormi, Marsa, Hamrun area LAURA CALLEJA NO pharmacies open on Sunday and public holidays in the com- ing weeks in Qormi and Santa Venera sell the morning-after pill, a MaltaToday probe shows. All pharmacies on the Sun- day roster from today until 8 December, a public holiday, in Area 3 have told a MaltaToday journalist who posed as a pro- spective client, they do not sell emergency contraception. And travelling to the neigh- bouring localities of Hamrun and Marsa, which comprise Area 2, is unlikely to solve the problem. On five of the six Sun- days and public holiday under review, the pharmacies on the roster in Area 2 do not sell the morning-after pill. In Gozo, on one of the days none of the only two pharmacies open sell the morning-after pill, which means anybody on the sister island requiring the con- traception will have to travel to Malta. The problems to access the morning-after pill on Sundays and public holidays flagged by this exercise are the same as those identified in a similar re- view last year. On Sundays and public hol- idays, only 20 pharmacies are open around Malta and Gozo on a roster basis. All pharmacies are open until noon, except the air- port pharmacy, which remains open until 10pm. Notably, the airport pharmacy, which is the only pharmacy open every Sunday and public holiday, does not sell the morning-after pill. The exercise A MaltaToday journalist called the 119 pharmacies across Mal- ta and Gozo that were listed on the official Sunday and public holiday roster between Sunday 7 November and Wednesday 8 December. The roster is re- leased in advance and is availa- ble on the health ministry web- site. Posing as a client, the journal- ist asked whether the pharmacy sold the morning-after pill and other pertinent questions such as whether her partner can buy it on her behalf. The average of pharmacies on all Sundays that sell the morn- ing-after pill is 61%. However, the rate ranges from 45% on one Sunday in November to 75% on another, making it arduous to source emergency contracep- tion. Area 7, which covers Sliema, Area 8 (Lija, Attard and Balzan) and Area 10 (Mellieha and St Paul's Bay, are the most acces- sible. The exercise showed that on each of the days analysed, all pharmacies in these areas sell the morning-after pill. A similar exercise in Novem- ber 2020 found that over the last year, things have remained, for the most part, stagnant, if not marginally worse. Last year the six Sundays surveyed found that 80 pharmacies sold the morn- ing-after pill at 63%. The morning-after pill (MAP) is a type of emergency birth control that is used to prevent pregnancy for women who have had unprotected sex or whose birth control method failed. It is recommended that the morn- ing-after pill be taken within 72 hours of having intercourse. The earlier it is taken, the more ef- fective it can be in preventing an unwanted pregnancy. MAP was introduced in Malta in 2016 and can be sold over the counter in pharmacies without a doctor's prescription as long as the person is over 18. But MAP is also a contentious subject for pharmacists, who have the right not to dispense the pill on the grounds of con- scientious objection. Some pharmacies have opted not to sell MAP outright, while in others, individual pharmacists can decide not to sell it despite being available. Observations from case study The caller experienced a range of reactions from pharmacists, who took the call - from a friend- ly attitude to hostility. In multi- ple cases where the pharmacy did not sell the morning-after pill, they willingly recommended other places close by to aid the caller. In one case, a pharmacist warned that while the pharmacy does, in fact, sell the morning-af- ter pill, and they themselves would sell it, the next person on shift would not. In another case, the person who answered the phone was hostile to the caller and hung up after replying with a hostile 'no' without even letting the caller say 'thank you.' Once again, just like last year, there was a wide range of pro- tocols, with some pharmacies requiring ID checks, forms to sign and informing the caller they would have to answer a list of questions while others said nothing was required. Another pharmacy told the caller that while the morning-af- ter pill was sold over the coun- ter, it was still best to get clear- ance from a doctor before taking the pill. Unprecedently, one pharmacy even said that if the caller's part- ner came with the ID of the per- son who was to take the morn- ing-after pill, that was enough. This is not a standard protocol in Malta, however, in countries like the UK, the law allows part- ners to pick up emergency con- traception to save the person from further anxiety. 'Identification is not necessary' – Doctors for Choice Speaking to MaltaToday, Dr Isabel Stabile, a member of Doc- tors for Choice, said that the NGO feels adamant that iden- tification does not need to be asked for. Stabile said any questions put to the client by the pharmacist should be strictly medical such as whether the person is on the contraception pill, whether they have any allergies or medical conditions such as liver disease, which could cause an adverse reaction. Stabile said it was important for people to know what the morning-after pill can and can- not do: "It must be taken with- in 120 hours (for one particular brand) of unprotected sex, it on- One year on, MaltaToday exercise shows that buying the morning-after pill on Sunday remains a stiff challenge