Almost a month later, Health Department gives half-baked answers

Six days shy of a month after TMI sent questions to the Health Department following an interview with the Commissioner for Health, this newsroom has received brief comments hardly worth all the effort and insistence taken to get them.

The interview with the Commissioner, Charles Messina, published in The Malta Independent on Sunday on 8 May, was sparked by an official report regarding diabetes and Hepatitis C sufferers not being given the medication they were entitled to three years after initial complaints were lodged, the report published and sent to Parliament by the Mr Messina. The Health Department’s final word at the time was that issues will be addressed sometime during 2016.

The questions asked by TMI as a follow-up (reproduced below) went into specific detail regarding justification by the department as to whether people weren’t getting what they were entitled to as well as the new exciting Hepatitis C treatment currently underway.

“Last year treatment for Hepatitis C was introduced on the Government Formulary. As with many other treatment regimens, this treatment is protocol regulated according to clear cut criteria established by a board of clinical experts. All patients who reach these evidence-based criteria are offered the treatment.”

This is the full reply regarding Hepatitis C which does not answer any of the 10 questions posed by this newsroom.

Regarding diabetes, the following is the full answer from the Health Department regarding diabetes. Once again, despite there being more detail than the previous excerpt, not one of the five questions posed by this newsroom was directly answered.

“As regards diabetes, government launched the National Diabetes policy last December and as of March this year new drugs were introduced in the government formulary: namely gliptins and reglapinide. These drugs are set to reduce the number of patients dependent on insulin. A policy regarding the insulin analogues will be discussed after the effects of the new drugs are investigated.

“Another initiative introduced last year involved the distribution of glucose testing sticks free for all diabetes patients under 18 years of age. This will be extended to all Type 1 diabetics this year and then to all patients on insulin next year.”

Regarding one of the most pressing issues which the Commissioner highlighted, the huge problem with delays and lack of timely follow-ups, the ministry, ironically, didn’t reply.

Hepatitis C

• How many patients are registered as suffering from Hepatitis C?
• How many patients in total can potentially be on this treatment?
• How many patients are currently getting treatment?
• Why is the treatment moving so slowly?
• How many patients cannot have their treatment as of yet due to drug or alcohol abuse?
• What is the estimated cost for treatment to be given to all patients currently ongoing or awaiting the treatment?
• Why is the department insisting that the treatment is futile after 12 weeks when consultants disagree?
• How many patients have died from Hepatitis C or cirrhosis of the liver while waiting their treatment?
• Once the backlog of patients is cleared, what would be the estimated cost for the medicine needed for new cases, presuming that the treatment will by then be a regular treatment?
• Are there any plans to refund patients who are incurring costs for treatment?

Diabetes

• What is the justification for cutting down supply of Haemaglucotest (HGT) blood sugar testing strips over 18 years of age?
• Is there any plan to refund patients who have had to go to incur the costs of Glargine after it was prescribed by their consultants, bearing in mind that people have been going to the Community
Chest Fund for help?
• And on that note, why was it that only Type 1 patients were being given Glargine, when consultants still prescribed it for Type 2 patients as well?
• Why has it taken three years for any concrete action to be taken and why is there still no official date as to when the diabetes issues will be addressed?
• When can the Department guarantee that all diabetes patients are finally given what they are entitled to?

Delays

• Why does it take so long, with 75% of all queries taking over three months, for an initial reply to be given the Commissioner for Health when an issue crops up?