MP Jason Azzopardi Warns Paracetamol Has Doubled In Price Over The Past Week, Urges Malta To Control Prices Of Basic Products
Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi has urged the government to control the prices of essential food and medicinal products, warning the cost of some paracetamol pills has doubled in recent weeks.
“For the past few days, I’ve been urging the government to invoke the law to combat this abuse in prices of certain essential products,” Azzopardi said. “In a single week, the price of these basic pills has doubled and the price of food is exploding too.”
“I appeal to the government to use the powers granted to it by law to temporarily stabilise the prices of certain essential products. What are you waiting for, Minister? For people to die of hunger?”
Yesterday, Labour MP Alex Agius Saliba said he intends to write to the European Commission to ensure EU member states have a right to control prices for essential products during this crisis.
However, Azzopardi has argued that Maltese law, through the Supplies and Services Act, already grants the minister responsible for trade, namely Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, the power to set prices.
The activist group Civil Society Network has also called for controls on essential products such as medicines, medical masks, sanitizers, toilet paper, rice, flour, fruit, vegetables, milk and water, suggesting that their prices revert to the market price as of 8th March.
Lovin Malta has asked Schembri whether he is looking to control the prices of essential goods but has yet to receive a response as of the time of writing.
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