Free prescriptions?

"Use S1 upon applying for Residence.
From then we get 2 1/2 years cover under RHA"

no - the 2 1/2 year limit is the max available under S1 (you may get less depending on when you last paid NI in the UK) - there is no time limit on RHA (although need to renew every 2 years)

S1 is an EU wide thing, the RHA only Malta-UK, and are completely separate issues

ps private health care in Malta doesn't normally cover pre-existing conditions

Thanks

RHA is renewable every two years

toonarmy9752 wrote:

RHA is renewable every two years

How is that done please?

see the link I gave a few posts ago - gives all info, incl the application form

Of course!!!
Why have I been such an idiot?
Thank you again, now I'll go and lie down in a dark room.

georgeingozo wrote:

"Use S1 upon applying for Residence.
From then we get 2 1/2 years cover under RHA"

no - the 2 1/2 year limit is the max available under S1 (you may get less depending on when you last paid NI in the UK) - there is no time limit on RHA (although need to renew every 2 years)

S1 is an EU wide thing, the RHA only Malta-UK, and are completely separate issues

Perhaps a clarification of above? .

Your entitlement to S1 form is based on you having paid sufficient Class1 or Class 2 NI for two complete years immediately before the year you depart the UK. If you are NOT of pensionable age then cover is for two to two and a half years only. There is no further cover until you claim state pension.

If a UK citizen in Malta is already receiving a pension when he arrives in Malta then he cannot apply for RHA, he has to ask for transfer of his pension health rights via the S1 & DWP to Malta.
Correct me if I've got it wrong?

rooikat wrote:

georgeingozo wrote:

"Use S1 upon applying for Residence.
From then we get 2 1/2 years cover under RHA"

no - the 2 1/2 year limit is the max available under S1 (you may get less depending on when you last paid NI in the UK) - there is no time limit on RHA (although need to renew every 2 years)

S1 is an EU wide thing, the RHA only Malta-UK, and are completely separate issues

Perhaps a clarification of above? .

Your entitlement to S1 form is based on you having paid sufficient Class1 or Class 2 NI for two complete years immediately before the year you depart the UK. If you are NOT of pensionable age then cover is for two to two and a half years only. There is no further cover until you claim state pension.

If a UK citizen in Malta is already receiving a pension when he arrives in Malta then he cannot apply for RHA, he has to ask for transfer of his pension health rights via the S1 & DWP to Malta.
Correct me if I've got it wrong?

Oh no! here we go again!!!
This now puts a totally different slant on things, just as I was happy that we had it all covered.
Now according to rooikat we are without entitlement.
Yet, when I telephoned the DWP in Newcastle and explained our situation I was told that I would receive an S1 but that it was valid for 12 months only in any 12 month period Jan - Jan.
I should telephone again 1 month before leaving UK to give details to receive our S1.

I took early retirement at point of redundancy to look after Lynnder so I have not worked for 18 months so neither have I paid NI contributions. I have paid a total of 38 years into the 'pot' though.
Lynnder cannot work and left work due to her condition, early retirement again, certified ill health, and she has not paid into NI for 18 months though has paid 37 years contributions.
We both receive our full occupational pensions and I receive my MOD pension. We do not claim any Benefits. We are not qualified for UK State Pension yet. 

I think for my own mental health's sake that I should ignore any further postings (no disrespect intended)and just wait and see what happens but then I have to think about what to do before we get rid of all our furniture and burn our bridges here in the UK. I have until March to decide.

redmik: read the following - or ignore it if you like but it's fairly straight forward

Reciprocal Agreement Malta/UK
Who is eligible for the Service?
UK passport holders who are ordinary residents of Malta and who are not covered for healthcare through EU Regulations.

(As george  said 'S1 is an EU wide thing, the RHA only Malta-UK and are completely separate issues')
If a UK citizen is not entitled to a S1 claim possibly because they haven't paid NI contributions in the immediate 2 years preceding their move to another EU country then the UK citizen can apply for the RHA entitlement if they are not receiving a state pension.

What are the Applicant’s obligations under the RHA
if a cardholder starts work or starts getting a state pension from another country the Entitlement Unit must be informed.**

You need clarification on whether you are going the S1 route or the RHA route (it appears to me that yours is the RHA route).

In our particular circumstances I'm receiving a UK state pension so I have to transfer my pension/health rights (i'm not entitled to RHA) whereas my husband will not be receiving a state pension for another 2 years so has to go the RHA route until he gets his state pension. When this happens he has to inform the RHA unit as mentioned above**

ps S1 is better than RHA in coverage, so if you have a choice go with S1 for as long as you can

Thanks for that George - I was thinking about that. I found I was clearing my thoughts as I posted ....

My husband is still paying NI contributions so can go the S1 route.
Although I am working part-time I'm not paying NI because I'm getting a state pension as well so it won't work for me (as you would know)

Hi all,
I'm sorry for being so "blonde" but if you have a specific condition covered by the "Malta Medicine's List" which I do, does that mean you get all your prescriptions free or just the ones to treat the identified condition?

Thanks for your help.

Maureen

Hi Maureen,

the Protocoll V List is highly regulated and subject to approval especially when talking about expensive treatments.

You can expect those considered appropriate in Malta if you qualify but not neccessarily those that you receive elsewhere.

You will be referred to a specialist who is responsible for your application for treatment on a specific condition. It might require several permits!

Cheers
Ricky

Thanks Ricky,
It all seems very confusing but I would welcome a specialist opinion on my condition having been diagnosed 9 years ago and been treated only by GP's!!!
I will before leaving Ireland get a script for 6 months worth of meds which will keep me going until the paperwork has been sorted out.

Where do i take the S1 form in Malta to register

the entitlement office in Valletta

think its in Merchant Street, but same place as EHIC I believe

The address i have found is St John Street Valletta is this right

it might have moved, but if so, its 1 minute around the corner :-)

It has moved and is just round the corner, no 12. Check the days that they are open though, only 3 days a week.

Thank you for the information it has been a real help

Hiya all,

Just a little question, we are resident here, we are working and paying contributions, my daughter is a full time student.  We have to pay regular prescription charges for her.  Is she entitled to free prescriptions please?  If so, can you advise (George oh fountain of all knowledge) how we can apply for her to get them.

Many thanks

Jules
x

sorry, beyond my knowledge as to whether students get free subscriptions - I suggest she asks at the school or university she studies at - they will surely know the answer.

Thanks loads George.  xx

Advice please.  My husband and I are retired, have submitted our S1 forms to the UK and in turn have received our Certificates of Entitlement issued by the Ministry for Health in Malta. These certificates have our passport numbers on them because we don't have an identity number (we sent our E residence application by post 6 weeks ago) In order to visit clinic and the hospitals, Mater Dei has issued us with a number with an F at the end. The problem now is that the medicine Entitlement Unit at St Luke's hospital will not accept the forms that the consultant at the clinic has filled in to apply our yellow cards for chronic medicines. I phoned them today for an appointment (apparently you don't need one) but was told emphatically 'no ID to put in the system means we don't take your application' No matter how hard I tried to explain why we don't have an ID number or temporary one I got the same answer, no we won't process your application. I explained that Mater DEi and the Clinics are using the number with an F at the end, but they say they have to have an ID number We have nearly exhausted our 4 months supply of medicines from the UK and it looks like we could be paying for further chronic medications for months! Can we approach the British Embassy regarding this, is it our right as British Citizens (or is it as EU Citizens) to have full health entitlement which includes medicines. Is there a 'customer care' email address that we can use to contact the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security to explain the situation? I  have noticed a few expats have mentioned this customer care dept but I can't find it on their website.

just retired was planning to retire to Spain but thing went haywire due to recession. We have some maltese relatives there and think be a better option for us. We both have some health problems, And need to know about health care and quality and prescription charges for retired brits.

If you have a chronic condition AND you get registered with a consultant AND that person agrees AND you have an ID card THEN you will receive medication for those conditions free of charge.
(Referred to Schedule 5 or 'yellow card' process.)
Otherwise you will pay for all medication. Only available at a pharmacy. You may get prescriptions from either a private doctor or if entitled from a Health Centre. I have a prescription as I am awaiting to see a consultant and interestingly I keep the prescription and just show it to my pharmacist each time I need more. It's handwritten on a piece of paper letter headed with the Health Centre stamp on it.

Health care here is superb BUT you will usually have to queue, even if you have an appointment. Don't know what it's like on Malta but here on Gozo it's fine.
First thing you MUST do is gain a Certificate of Entitlement from the office in Valletta by providing proof of adequate insurance cover or if a State pensioner or in some other cases an S1 Certificate provided to you before you leave UK by DWP, Newcastle. Tel: 0191 2181999 for information and issue.
You will need that before you apply for ID card etc, so that means you should bring as much medication as you can from UK, usually a maximum of 2 month's supply. But, as currently it is taking longer than 2 months to get the Certificate and then the ID card be prepared to pay for your medication for a few months.

redmik wrote:

Health care here is superb BUT you will usually have to queue, even if you have an appointment. Don't know what it's like on Malta but here on Gozo it's fine.
First thing you MUST do is gain a Certificate of Entitlement from the office in Valletta by providing proof of adequate insurance cover or if a State pensioner or in some other cases an S1 Certificate provided to you before you leave UK by DWP, Newcastle. Tel: 0191 2181999 for information and issue.
You will need that before you apply for ID card etc, so that means you should bring as much medication as you can from UK, usually a maximum of 2 month's supply. But, as currently it is taking longer than 2 months to get the Certificate and then the ID card be prepared to pay for your medication for a few months.

You don't have to apply for the S1 certificate before you leave the UK, you can apply from Malta but naturally that will delay the whole process. We would advise at least 3 month's worth of medication (more if you can) as the process is extremely slow to obtain a 'yellow' chronic health card and finally the actual medication. You can only send in the relevant documentation applying for the yellow card after receiving your Eresidence card which can take up to 6 months or more - as we all know Once you have sent your Eresidence copy, entitlement document, consultancy approval and all relevant info to St Lukes hospital it can take another 3 to 4 weeks before the yellow card is posted to you. You then have to decide on your 'pharmacy of choice', show them all your documentation and yellow card and  they collate the info onto their computers and they send the documentation back to St Lukes for your 'prescription coupons! You could wait another week or two for the coupons and documents to come back to your pharmacy before you collect your first lot of chronic medication from the pharmacy. Our Eresidency application was fast tracked as we had run out of medicines, but even so the whole process from sending our ID application by post to receiving our chronic medication has taken 5 months. So please be prepared.

1. You can apply for 'yellow card' before you receive your ID but there are complications.
2. St Luke's is not the only hospital on the islands.

And, exactly as I wrote: you should bring as much medication as you can from UK, usually a maximum of 2 month's supply, that's all we were allowed by our Trust. But, as currently it is taking longer than 2 months to get the Certificate and then the ID card be prepared to pay for your medication for a few months.

Hi all,

Please note that the off topic posts have been removed from the thread.

Regards
Armand

from experience... certain conditions apply to free prescriptions.  Blood pressure tabs can be free.  Thyroxine are not free but are cheap to buy. around 2 euros a box.  Aspirin is expensive out here. Around 5 euros.  life threatening illnesses can be treated with free drugs. its not necessary age but condition.
The more proof of conditions and treatment you have had in the UK the better. but that will cost you!
We use a private Doctor , each visit cost us 10 euros. but you can use the free clinics tho be prepared for slight chaos and long waiting times. A&E can be used as free but again be prepared to wait. some conditions are referred in the hospital from A&E same day. 
Our doctor also refers us to outpatients clinic if he cant treat us, we take a letter of referral sameday to the hospital and get booked in as soon as poss. sometimes days to weeks depending on referral.
clinic/hospital visits require current Maltese I.D cards.

From experience, my wife suffers from blood cloths and already had 3 thrombosis in one of her legs and when she became pregnant, she had to stop taking warfarin tablets. She got a letter from her GP and she's being taking 120mg of Clexane a day since the beginning of her pregnancy and she gets the injections free every month from Mater Dei Hospital. Each box of Clexane (10 injections) costs nearly 100€ and she has to take 3 boxes per month. All the otehr medication like aspirin, folic acid, iron tablets, she has to pay for it.

This is an 'old' thread but as it has been revisited & terminology has changed........................

First of all clinics/hospitals do not require 'ID' cards. We were registered on our passports until our e-residence cards were issued. We then informed the hospital and our file numbers were changed.

For latest (free medication) Schedule V information...............

Whether you are entitled to Schedule V (five) medication (Yellow card) (free for some treatments) will depend upon your residential status, and entitlement to health care here. It can be a complicated process.
You will not get this as long as you have a temporary health entitlement certificate: a permanent Certificate of Entitlement (COE) is required.  Also you will have to have an assessment (and subsequent reviews) by a doctor at one of the hospitals.

(After issue of Sched V card (yellow card you will then have to nominate a Pharmacist of your choice, get a green form from them, get a doctor to complete the medication detail of that and return it to the pharmacist. You will then later receive a card of payment codes which the pharmacist will then enter on their system in lieu of payment each time you are issued with your Sched V listed medication.)

Be prepared for the Sched V process to take some time.

Advice.  If you have a pre-existing medical condition for which you are receiving medication before moving to Malta ensure you have a maximum supply of that medication. I also strongly advise you to bring copies of medical records, copies of prescriptions or a letter confirming your conditions and medication. These may prove invaluable for when seeking medication here, either by attending a free clinic or doctor privately and/or during Sched V assessment.

From: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=316705

@georgeingozo

Hi. Any chance of getting this link too please?

@Jo Jo Toynton

You are replying to 10 year old post

    @Jo Jo Toynton
You are replying to 10 year old post
   

    -@Toon

Gosh, your still around Toon!