Pharmacists display products to public
They are often on the front lines of Belize’s war against disease and while their role is not without controversy, they are an indispensable part of our health care system. This morning I attended an exhibition by the nation’s pharmacists.
Whether you were looking to build your muscles, smooth out your wrinkles or cure your particular illness, the second annual exhibition by the Belize Pharmacists Association provided a wide assortment of medicine and medical paraphernalia that is available on the Belize market. For the first time, the association has joined with the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, and turned the one day event into a five day activity, marking Pharmacy Awareness Week.
While last year the focus was on new medications, this time around the association is looking at a practice that is becoming far too common in many households around the country.
Sharon Sanchez, Chairperson, Continuing Education Committee
“Often times people try to manage their conditions and there are conditions that we can assist them with and there are others that are beyond our scope, therefore if they consult us as pharmacists we should be able to question them and try to determine what is the nature of their condition and give the appropriate advice, which may either be selling them an O.T.C. preparation of choice or recommending them to go and see a physician.”
According to Ruth Galvez Guiterrez, the President of B.P.A., people do not realize that when they choose to self diagnose and treat themselves with over the counter medications, they are doing more harm than good.
Ruth Galvez Guiterrez, President, Belize Pharmacists Assoc.
“What we want to show people that auto medication isn’t the way to go. Auto medication can cause a lot of problems and this has been something that has been studied in many parts of the world, auto medication leads to a lot of toxicity, chemical toxicity in your system and it also leads to a lot of side effects from the drugs in your body, and a lot of times people take these medications and it is not necessary and so auto medication can be really dangerous.”
While the pharmacists also counseled people about the proper use of medications, they also answered criticisms levied against drugstores across the country. One had to do with the high mark up on medicine.
Ruth Galvez Guiterrez
“There is a control price which is 25 percent, but the service charge, there is no control on the service charge. So if you buy medication, some pharmacists might put more professional fees on their medication and there is no control on that, so you will see prices vary. Also we have to realize that a pharmacist is underpaid for his or her work. Because when someone comes into your place and ask you to recommend a medication, you are giving a professional service and so you can charge for that.”
And speaking about professionalism, it is important that the public asks questions of pharmacists to insure against tragic mistakes.
Sharon Sanchez
“They should cooperate by answering the questions if they are being asked and if they are not asked, then they should demand to know what they are being given, what is it used for and more or else, hoping with that in mind if the pharmacist is keen on what he is doing, then if there is an overdose, he or she should be able to pick that up, you understand, but we can only treat based on the information given.”
But as our women and men in white work diligently this week in observance of Pharmacy Week, Sanchez says there is a lot of work the association will need to do in terms of seeing that the laws are enforced to reduce an old and persistent problem of selling prescription medication over the counter.
Viewers who think they are being overcharged for medicines should shop around as prices often vary radically between different drugstores.
