Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/433160
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2014 8 News MATTHEW AGIUS THE Ministry for Energy and Health is seeking part-funding from the EU and the private sector to develop a technological solution for the dis- pensing of medicines in state hospi- tals to prevent their theft. The €15 million project – submit- ted for consideration under the EU Investment Initiative – involves the creation of a new central storage de- pot for medicines, the implementa- tion of a stock-keeping IT system, the introduction of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags on medic- inals to monitor stock movements and introducing automated medi- cine dispensing cabinets in state hospitals. The RFID tag will also register the staff member and patient or bed number dispensed to, in order to prevent abuse. Once funding is secured, the government estimates a timeframe for comple- tion of 24-30 months. The system is expected to quadruple annual stock turnover and directly de- liver medicines from sup- pliers to end users, where possible. The dispensers will automatically reorder medicines when stocks in the dispensing machine need replenishing. The project forms part of a wider shake-up of the system of primary medical care in Malta. Malta's public health- care system offers free medicine to all inpatients in state hospitals and old age resi- dential facilities. Free medicines are also made available for all sufferers of chronic medical conditions such as high cholesterol and depression. Low-income persons are entitled to free medicinals for all conditions, af- ter being means-tested. This large demand is not helped by what has been described by the present administration as "a non- system plagued with lack of controls and regular out-of-stock mishaps" with regard to current medicine procurement and distribution prac- tices". This is by no means the first time the government has attempted to curb spiralling health costs. Last June, the health ministry an- nounced a target of reducing costs of healthcare services for diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and obes- ity ailments that could be handled by GPs, by €7 million in 2020. In October, the government had mooted plans to offer tax rebates to individuals who opted for pri- vate medical insurance, however this proposal did not feature in the subsequent budget for 2015. Subse- quently, in November the EU Com- mission had asked the government to "accelerate progress on the planned efforts to improve fiscal sustainabil- ity of the healthcare system." Costs related to medicines take up a large chunk of the health budget, consuming some 22% of the allo- cation for healthcare operations. In 2012, the costs of medicinals, related appliances and equipment amounted to €75.32 million. In 2014 expenditure reached €84 million – 1.13% of GDP. The financial estimates promise that even a 5% increase in efficien- cy would recover the costs of the project in under four years – a fact that would make the new tech-based system even more appealing to the government as one way of tackling the mushrooming operational cost of the existing system. JAMES DEBONO THE Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) has re- activated an application by Charles Micallef dating back to 2007 to re- locate the illegal Munchies kiosk in the middle of Golden Bay beach to an area immediately next to an existing legal kiosk near the stairs leading to the beach. The new development will be carried out over two levels. Most of the development is set to take place under the car park. But a smaller component will be visible above road level. Photomontages of the project presented by the applicant show an intensification of development on the hotel side of the beach. The application to re-locate the illegal development was reactivat- ed last month. In 2005 MEPA had approved an outline permit for the relocation of the illegal Munchies kiosk to an area located entirely under the present car park. But in 2007 the developer applied for a development which included an area above road level. In May 2008 MEPA's advisory committee on Natural Heritage called on MEPA to stop process- ing this application because it was in breach of the outline permit as part of the construction was above road level. It was also this year that the MEPA issued enforcement notices against highly visible development in the middle of popular Golden Bay. No previous attempt was made to sanction development on this site. The enforcement order refers to "the construction and repeated extensions" of the Munchies kiosk which covers 465 square metres of a Grade 1 scheduled site. The owner has appealed against the en- forcement order, gaining valuable time as MEPA cannot remove the structure until a decision is handed down by the appeals tribunal. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Proposal to relocate Munchies next to existing kiosk Drugs to be placed on hospital radar to prevent pilferage An application to relocate the illegal Munchies kiosk to an area next to an existing legal kiosk was reactivated by MEPA in November Photomontages of proposed development: Artist Impression of how the relocation of kiosk will look like when viewed from the Golden Bay and from the car park