The SCHV was also known as the yellow card as it was previously issued, as the name implies, as a yellow card. It contains the information related to the patient and his/her entitlement for free medication so that this document can be presented to the pharmacy chosen by the patient to collect the required free medication.

The Government Formulary list determines the prescriber criteria per item/medicinal. In general for most conditions new applications must be issued by a Consultant. However, health centre doctors can apply for Hypertension treatment as well as Genetic Dyslipidaemia (cholesterol) treatment as per the Government formulary list. Private doctors who are specialists in family medicine (as per Specialist Medical Doctor register) can only apply for renewal of such treatment.

Your family doctor will issue a referral ticket for an appointment with your caring Consultant. The Consultant will then fill in an application for a new SCHV document to be issued.

Your GP will fill in a referral ticket to make an appointment with your Consultant. If your treatment is still necessary, your consultant will sign at the bottom of the permit (if it is an old format) or else sign next to the item with the permit to be renewed. Permits which used to be issued on a white sheet are now included in the SCHV document along with the expiry date of the item.

A new SCHV document needs to be issued with your newly added treatment. The SCHV document needs to be sent to our office for further processing. The newly added medicine will only be approved if it corresponds to the Schedule V condition of your original application.

If you are diagnosed with a new condition, your consultant will need to apply for a new SCHV. With the previous system a SCHV document was issued for each condition. Now one SCHV document is issued covering all the treatment needed to manage your condition.

No. Your pharmacist at the POYC or Government Pharmacy will attach a Continuation sheet to your full SCHV Document. The Continuation sheet is not valid without the original SCHV Document.

The Schedule V application can be sent directly to the Medicines Approval Section (MAS) in Gwardamangia by post or can be brought personally to our offices 8.00 a.m. -1.00 p.m. After hours it can be posted in the MAS letter box which is affixed to the door of MAS office. The application can also be posted in the letterbox at Mater Dei Hospital (MDH) which can be found on the first floor near the billing section. The same applies for the SCHV Document containing treatments which were added in ink, or for any requests for the renewal of a signed permits.

Do not to take the application directly to the pharmacy.

It is important to bring the following items with you:

1. Your ID card and Patient’s ID card (if you are coming on behalf of another person)
2. Old Yellow Document (if you have one)
3. New application signed by consultant.
4. Parents of patients under 18 years of age are to bring their ID card.
5. Make sure to check that the application forms are duly signed by applying Consultant.

1. If you are working in Malta and paying N.I. Contributions, please bring with your last month’s pay slip. If you are self-employed you are requested to present the most recent (not older than 6 months) receipt of N.I. contributions. A copy of the birth certificate should also be attached in the case of an application for the payer’s children
2. If you are married to a Maltese citizen, please bring a photocopy of your spouse’s I.D. Card and a photocopy of the marriage certificate.
3. If you are in receipt of a Maltese state pension, you are requested to present the notice of pension payment (not older than 6 months) issued by Social Security Department.
4. If you are an EU citizen residing in Malta on a permanent basis, you are requested to present a Certificate of Entitlement issued by the Entitlement Unit within the Ministry for Energy and Health, as well as proof of identity. NOTE that the Entitlement Unit may only issue a Certificate of Entitlement upon presentation of any of the following forms: E106, E109 and E121 or form S1. These forms are issued by the competent authorities of your country of origin, if you are in receipt of a state pension from that country or you are working in Malta and paying social contributions in your country of origin.
5. If patients have a refugee status a SCHV is issued till the validity of their refugee card. Patients who have subsidiary protection or are asylum seekers are not entitled for the SCHV document. However, they are still entitled for free medications from the health centres in case of protocol regulated items, the MAS permits will be issued just the same. Present a copy of the certificate showing status and expiry date.
6. If you (or your dependents) are an EU/EAA national and have permanent residence status, kindly provide a copy of your ID (Residence) card.

If you do not yet have a Maltese Residence Permit (‘A’ number) you should apply at Identity Malta. In the interim a copy of your passport or EU foreign ID card should be attached to the application

The POYC Scheme is open only to those patients who are entitled to benefit from the Government’s free pharmaceutical service in terms of Government’s policy or legislation regulating the entitlement for free pharmaceutical services, That is all patients who have been issued either a SCHV document or are Pink card beneficiaries. Patients must register with a pharmacy of their own choice to become eligible and start benefiting from the Scheme.

To register with the POYC Scheme, patients must observe the following steps:

1. Patients must choose a pharmacy from that is participating in the POYC Scheme.
2. Inform the Pharmacist that she wishes to register with the POYC Scheme.
3. Obtain the POYC Scheme Registration Form from that Pharmacy

The POYC Scheme Registration Form is divided into 3 Sections. Each Section must be duly filled-in as follows:

1. Section ‘A’ must be filled-in by the patient. Each patient must have one Registration Form.
2. Section ‘B’ must be filled-in by the managing pharmacist of the particular pharmacy.
3. Section ‘C’ must be filled-in by the medical practitioner / family doctor, and this Section, must reflect the patient’s pharmaceutical entitlement according to the patient’s valid entitlement documents.

After the Registration Form is duly filled-in, the patient must also attach photocopies of the following documents:

1. The Entitlement Documents [SCHV, Schedule II – Pink]. Please, make sure that the Documents are valid and carry the rubber stamp of the medical consultant.
2. The special medicine entitlement permit [where applicable] together with the MDH 145, SLH 145, DH 75 “To Whom It May Concern” note which lists the medications that accompanies either the Pink Card or a SCHV document with a “treatment as prescribed” clause for conditions such as: Malignant Disease, Psychiatric condition and Psoriasis.
3. Copy of the patient’s ID Card.

Once the Registration Form is completed and the necessary photocopies made and attached, it must be either returned together with the supporting documents to the Managing Pharmacist of the particular local pharmacy or posted to the POYC Unit, or personally delivered to the POYC Unit.

In the event that, upon receipt at POYC Unit, any of the above requested documents are missing, the POYC Unit would return the Registration Form to the patient together with a letter indicating that information is missing / what documents are still required.

NOTE: The POYC Unit will not be in a position to process the Registration Form unless all the required information is available.

To collect the medicines you must register with POYC. If you have not yet registered with POYC it is not possible to collect any medicines/pharmaceuticals yet.

Patients will be able to collect their medicines/pharmaceuticals from their chosen pharmacy on the same day as long as the pharmacy has the item in stock. Speak to your pharmacist straight away so that an order can be placed for your medicines/pharmaceuticals.

NOTE:

1. Patients will only be able to collect their medicines/pharmaceuticals from the chosen pharmacy

The POYC Unit is no longer issuing or replacing membership cards. The pharmacist scans the QR code printed at the top of the SCHV document which gives access to the system in order for them to dispense.

Patients are to collect their medicines / pharmaceuticals from their local pharmacy every 56 days (2 months).

NOTE: Controlled Drugs [GREEN prescriptions] are to dispensed every 28 days.

To be able to collect medicines / pharmaceuticals from their local pharmacy, patients need to present the following documents/ permits to the pharmacist:

1. The ID card.
2. A valid prescription by a medical practitioner.
3. Schedule V document (stating your entitlement).
4. The relevant Permits.

NOTE: When collecting Controlled Drugs, together with the above patients are also required to present:

1. A valid GREEN prescription [which is valid for only ONE month from issue date].
2. A valid Control Card duly filled-in by the medical practitioner.

When patients have a change in their treatment / medication they must immediately notify the managing pharmacist of their local pharmacy. The pharmacist, then, will make the necessary arrangements so that their entitlement will be adjusted accordingly.

Changes in treatment can include:

1. Change in present dose and / or medication.
2. Suspension and/ or replacement of present treatment.
3. Introduction of new treatment /medication.

NOTE: Patients must also:

Ensure that the additional medicines / pharmaceuticals have been endorsed by a medical consultant.

Update their SCHV at the one stop shops and the pink forms at the social security.

The pharmacist can also update the entitlement by accepting MDH 145, SLH 145, DH 75 “To Whom It May Concern” that accompany yellow cards which have “treatment as prescribed” for conditions such as “Malignant Disease”, Psychiatric conditions and Psoriasis as well as forms accompanying pink cards.

A Change in pharmacy will only be accepted when a new Registration Form is forwarded to the POYC Unit, with as listed here below:

Section A – Patient.

​Section B – Person of trust, if applicable.

Section C – Pharmacist duly filled-in.

NOTE: The PHARMACY will no longer be receiving a new scheme card.