Medication in Malta

Me: Why can't I get <thing I have been getting for years>
Pharmacist: Ask Boris Johnson

that's how it is now, several products completely out of stock for months

volcane wrote:

Me: Why can't I get <thing I have been getting for years>
Pharmacist: Ask Boris Johnson

that's how it is now, several products completely out of stock for months

Wow - how has Boris Johnson managed to screw up the Maltese health system?

Cynic wrote:

Wow - how has Boris Johnson managed to screw up the Maltese health system?

guess where Malta gets most of its medicine from?

I could not get my blood pressure tablets for five weeks which are usually free from my normal pharmacy, so I had to purchase some from another pharmacy but other then that never had any problems with obtaining tablets, medicine etc.
Why is it Boris Johnson’s fault?

The "Boris Johnson" comment is verbatim what the pharmacist said.  Much of our tablets come from the UK and due to stockpiling there and uncertainty supply is a problem. 

So you might find even thing that in the past you found here you now have to find alternatives or order from online pharmacies - some of which do deliver here

I know that the UK Government did stockpile medicines during the Brexit negotiations, but I just checked the timeline and it was May who was the PM when it happened, but Boris is a convenient scapegoat I guess.

Like I said, not my choice of words, so not really sure why yall are going on about it, missing the forest for the trees

volcane wrote:

Like I said, not my choice of words, so not really sure why yall are going on about it, missing the forest for the trees

I was just interested in how Borris had caused your problem with the Maltese Healthcare system; looks like it wasn't him after all.  Doesn't help you get your medication I guess, but I hope you're OK now.

volcane wrote:

Cynic wrote:

Wow - how has Boris Johnson managed to screw up the Maltese health system?

guess where Malta gets most of its medicine from?

Many are from Cyprus!

F0xgl0ve wrote:

volcane wrote:

Cynic wrote:

Wow - how has Boris Johnson managed to screw up the Maltese health system?

guess where Malta gets most of its medicine from?

Many are from Cyprus!

When I did my Logistics course at Uni I did a retail section; from my research at the time, in monetary terms, two-thirds of the world's pharmaceuticals are produced in 5 countries, the UK, USA, France, Germany and Japan; the stats are skewed by 2 further countries (China and India) producing the majority of the low-end of the market place; they probably account for the majority of the other 3rd.  These are the base products supplied to national companies to make/package their own local (Cypriot?) versions and variations of these products, which they, in turn, will sell to their own local market place, plus anywhere else in the world where they can sell at a profit.

The same thing happens with practically every single thing you find in your shopping trolley.  If Italy fell off the map this morning, we would lose 50% of the EU's cleaning products, if you added Belgium to the "falling off list", they're the other 50% - modern manufacturing processes are fantastic, as long as nothing like a pandemic comes along and screws things up.

volcane wrote:

Cynic wrote:

Wow - how has Boris Johnson managed to screw up the Maltese health system?

guess where Malta gets most of its medicine from?

Actually mine does not come from the UK.

I doubt this will improve the dripping tap nature of commentary here but here’s an actual study on the matter. https://www.pharmaworldmagazine.com/pre … ain-malta/

I had a lengthy discussion with suppliers about our reliance on the UK. Just because yours doesn’t come from UK doesn’t mean it’s not a big problem for others.

volcane wrote:

I doubt this will improve the dripping tap nature of commentary here but here’s an actual study on the matter. https://www.pharmaworldmagazine.com/pre … ain-malta/

I had a lengthy discussion with suppliers about our reliance on the UK. Just because yours doesn’t come from UK doesn’t mean it’s not a big problem for others.

I am entitled to make a comment as much as you are.

volcane wrote:

I doubt this will improve the dripping tap nature of commentary here but here’s an actual study on the matter. https://www.pharmaworldmagazine.com/pre … ain-malta/

I had a lengthy discussion with suppliers about our reliance on the UK. Just because yours doesn’t come from UK doesn’t mean it’s not a big problem for others.

Interesting article - thank you.  Looks like Malta is a chip on the negotiator's table.

I must admit that my treatment for bronchiectasis and asthma in Malta has been better than the UK and I've had no trouble getting my free inhalers at all. A 5*