Preparations to Launch POYC in Gozo

A meeting was held for all Gozo Pharmacy owners at the NGO centre in Gozo. This meeting was held in conjunction with the Kamra tal-Ispizjara and the POYC Department of the Ministry of Health.  The well attended meeting was addressed by officials from the POYC and MITA, who explained what the POYC is all about, and who also introduced two persons who will be co-coordinating POYC from the Gozo office of the Ministry Of Health.

The Meeting was also addressed by the President of the Pharmacy Section of GRTU, Mario Debono who said that despite the initial difficulties that pharmacies will face in the run-up to the POYC, it will ultimately be of benefit to both Pharmacy owners as well as Pharmacies in Gozo, as Gozo is the ideal place for patients and their pharmacists to really make it work well. He also said that GRTU will be offering its full support to all its member pharmacy owners, a sentiment echoed by the President of the Chamber of Pharmacists, Mary Anne Sant Fournier.

Mr. Debono and Mrs. Sant Fournier also answered questions by the Pharmacy owners related to tax credits, operational purchases, the actual mechanisms of how POYC works, and other questions related to operational matters. It was agreed that GRTU and the Chamber of Pharmacists, would organize more seminars in Gozo for pharmacy owners.

Mr. Debono also said that GRTU had insisted with the Medicines Authority so that its Malta seminar regarding pharmacy licencing would be repeated in Gozo. In fact the Medicines Authority has already agreed to such a proposal and this seminar will be held, in conjunction with GRTU and the Chamber of Pharmacists, on the 23^rd July at Gozo General Hospital at 12.30 pm.

Mr. Debono also asked pharmacists to register for their essential E-ID registration in order for pharmacists to be able to operate the POYC system. The meeting was concluded with all present expressing the need to have more regular meetings in Gozo on pharmacy related issues. In attendance for this meeting were also Mr. Joseph Grima and Mr. Alfred Barthet, from GRTU's pharmacy committee.

Death of Mrs. Olga Felice.

On behalf of the GRTU Pharmacy Section and its members, the President of the section would also wish to express their heartfelt condolences to the President of the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists, Mrs. Mary Anne Sant Fournier, her brothers and all her family, on the sad loss of their mother Mrs. Olga Felice.