Following the announcement last week by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne, about a new Coeliac Products Voucher Scheme, the Department of Health said this evening that they will now be providing the vouchers each month to those who are eligible.

It said that the Department, for a number of years, had received numerous calls from people who suffer from gluten intolerance (Coeliac Disease), to introduce a voucher scheme. “These appeals had fallen on deaf ears under previous management.”

The vouchers will be available through Local Councils. The basic value of the voucher will be €30. Holders of the pink cared, the ‘Kartanzjan’ and pensioners, will be eligible for a voucher with a higher value of €50.

The Department said that these figures are based on the recommended daily calorific dose and are in line with the UK scheme. “This scheme will see people suffering from Coeliac Disease have access to a wide range of gluten free products affecting individual tastes and their diet.”

There are about 50 outlets across Malta and Gozo who are going to participate in this new scheme and this number is set to increase in the coming months.

The vouchers should encourage importers to increase the variety of gluten free products, bringing prices down, it said.

The Department of Health, it said, will be conducting audits of the scheme during the first months of its introduction.

Permalink: Coeliac Products Vouchers to be issued by Local Councils – Health Dept