POYC

The Pharmacy of Your Choice (POYC) scheme is a nationwide pharmaceutical service that offers free medications and/or medical devices to thousands of patients with chronic illnesses, funded by the government.
Find a Pharmacy

1. Visit to your consultant

If you’re experiencing symptoms of a chronic disease, schedule an appointment with a medical professional at Mater Dei Hospital or one of the government healthcare centres. They’ll assess your condition, prescribe treatment from the government, and submit the POYC application.

2. Submit documentation to POYC

If you’re not yet registered with a pharmacy, pick up a registration form at your chosen pharmacy or download it, complete it, and let the pharmacist submit it.

3. Receive entitlement documents

Once processed, you’ll receive by post your entitlement documents (e.g., pink/yellow card, MEU letters, or CPSU approvals) listing the medicines and medical supplies you’re entitled to.

4. Collect your medicines

Take your documents and prescription to your pharmacy. They’ll prepare on 8-week supply and note your next collection date.

General Information

Step 1
Visit to Your Doctor

If you have symptoms of a chronic condition, book an appointment with a consultant at Mater Dei Hospital or a doctor at a government healthcare centre. Consultants handle new applications for most conditions but health centre doctors can also apply for hypertension and cholesterol treatment. Private family doctors may only renew such treatments.

The doctor will assess and diagnose your condition, choose an appropriate treatment from the government formulary list, and fill in the required documents, including the Medicines Request Form for the Pharmacy of Your Choice (POYC) scheme. This will be submitted to Medicines Approval Section (MAS).

You’ll also get a prescription listing all your approved chronic medications, to be collected under the POYC scheme. There are two types of prescriptions: WHITE and GREEN, depending on the type of treatment.

Entitlement Documents

Step 2
Register Your Pharmacy

If you are not yet registered with a pharmacy of your choice, visit your chosen community pharmacy to pick up a registration form or download it online. Complete the form with the pharmacist, who will submit it to POYC on your behalf. Your registration with that pharmacy will usually be processed within a few days.

Step 3
Receive Entitlement Documents

After your application is processed, you’ll receive the following documents by post (as applicable):

Entitlement Document: Pink (Schedule II) or Yellow (Schedule V), listing the medicines you’re entitled to.

MEU Letter: For certain protocol-regulated medicines (ask your doctor/pharmacist if this applies to you).

A to “Whom It May Concern” note (MDH145) : For specific conditions such as cancer, psychiatric illness, or psoriasis, accompanying the pink or yellow document.

CPSU Approval: For medical supplies like wound dressings, issued once the pharmacy submits your application to the Central Procurement & Supplies Unit (CPSU).

Step 4
Collect Your Medicines

Once you have your entitled documents and prescription, take them to your registered pharmacy. The pharmacist will dispense an 8-week supply of your medication and record your next collection date. Bring your documents 2-3 days before this date to allow time for preparation.

Change of
Pharmacy

If you would like to change the pharmacy you’re registered with, simply fill in a change form from your pharmacy. Hand over the completed form to the managing pharmacist at the pharmacy, and he/she will send this document to the POYC unit, where your registration will be transferred.