I just got back from my travels in South America where I spent time at the beach in Uruguay with my in-laws. In Uruguay, there were plenty of chain store chemists with the difference that a Pharmacist did not have to be on site. Each day, a pharmacist spends 2 hours at a pharmacy checking prescriptions at the back. After 2 hours, they move onto another pharmacy and each Pharmacist is capped at working a total of 5 pharmacies. Apparently, they never have to engage with those picking up the prescriptions which I found pretty strange.
Next door in Argentina, things appeared more strict and patient orientated. A pharmacist had to be present and it is law that one pharmacist can only work a maximum of 8 consecutive hours a day. The pharmacist I talked to worked at beautiful old pharmacy that was owned by brothers. One of the brothers became a priest and the rest of the boys had no next of kin so the pharmacy today is owned by a Swiss Church. I thought that was a beautiful story. The prices of imported items were extortionary - which was reflective of their economy.
Up in Santiago, Chile; the main emphasis in Pharmacy was price. Every pharmacy slogan was something along the lines of "same but cheaper". I suspect that some pharmacies were at risk of prolific shoplifting as all the OTC medicines were behind glass doors in the store.
This small glimpse of pharmacy in South America really highlighted how different a Pharmacist's career is in New Zealand and a patient's experience.
The team took care of business whilst I was away but it wasn't all work and no play this summer. Leanne travelled to Matakana (close to Auckland) to flaunt her swimming skills. Leanne has been going to swimming classes all 2022 to build her confidence and to fulfil her dreams of being able to enjoy the ocean. Maia has a garden now, so she has been busy tending to her vegetables and fruits. It is almost like a fulltime job! Mille had a tough task of doing up her fence and the joy of growing lots of cucumbers. Gardening seems to be the hobby of choice here and quite a wise one particularly with the cost of living going up. We had Brooklyn, our new retail assistant, starting with us so her summer was spent saving money before University starts.
No more travel from me for a while but you will be hearing from Leanne in Japan soon and Mille from Denmark in May.
Angela Liu
We offer a wide range of products and our well trained, experienced staff can advise you on a number of health related issues. Our accredited pharmacists can offer effective treatment in various areas, including: Urinary tract infections, emergency contraception, minor eye infections, skin conditions, erectile dysfunction, over the counter medicines and first aid and many more.
