‘We Need Better Quality Feeds For People Who Can’t Eat,’ Maltese Family Doctor Urges
Maltese Medical Doctor Daniel Sammut has started a petition to get the Pharmacy Of Your Choice (POYC) scheme to start providing better quality feeds to people who rely on them as their sole source of nutrition.
EnergieShake was designed as a food for medical purposes. It is supposed to manage the diets of patients with or at risk of disease-related malnutrition by either supplementing their diet or acting as their sole source of nutrition.
Despite this, it has allegedly caused substantial weight loss, and led to the development of pressure sores and anaemia, Sammut told Lovin Malta.
His own son has been affected by these quality issues, having lost 10 kilos since they started being administered around three months ago.
The drink is labelled suitable to be used as a sole source of nutrition for patients who cannot or will not eat sufficient quantities every day.
However, the product has been recalled from within Mater Dei but it is allegedly still being given for free through POYC. However, sources told Lovin Malta that POYC was informed not to dispense it.
The POYC scheme is a national pharmaceutical service that meets the needs of outpatients (patients who are not in hospital) who benefit from medicines and pharmaceutical devices that are given for free by the government under the legislation of Schedule V and Schedule II.
EnergieShake is one of these medications.
So far, Sammut’s petition calling for the Prime Minister, Minister for Inclusion, and Minister for Health to supply good quality feeds through POYC has received over 300 signatures
Several signatories have even stated their personal reasons for wanting this immediate recall, with many saying that their children have lost a significant amount of weight since they started using it.
“My son has been heavily affected by this nutrition drink as he was losing weight at a fast momentum, resulting in bedsores re-emerging and falling under antibiotic treatment to treat the severe scars implemented due to weight loss… in my opinion, this type of negligence should not be tolerated since it was already recalled from the hospital (MTD),” one person said.
“I work as an oncology dietitian at SAMOC and have witnessed many of my patients (if not all) coming across Energie Shakes full of clumps ‘kollu bicciet‘ – it is expiring long before the date written on the packets. Most of my patients rely entirely on these shakes as their source of nutrition… Our patients deserve better than this subpar supplement. Change it now!” another wrote.
Sammut has brought up the issue, as well as his petition, to the Department of Health, and they responded that while the product was initially found to be in “full compliance” with the relevant standards,” they are taking “further measures and requesting further documentation to be absolutely certain that the product is stable under various temperature and storage conditions”.
Meanwhile, the newsroom also reached out to the ministry for a comment, to which a spokesperson said:
If you or a loved one has been affected by this issue and want to raise awareness, don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected]
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