Part 2
The advice to consumers from the Pharmacy Council continues:
“8. What should the public look for upon entering such premises (pharmacies and patent shops) as mentioned earlier…? The sign ‘Pharmacy’ or ‘Patent Shop’ must be conspicuously displayed on the exterior of the establishment.
“The client must look for the appropriate personnel; for example, let’s say you enter premises advertised as a pharmacy then you should ask for the pharmacist, then glance to the nearest wall to look for the original certificate (I would like to stress original certificate) of registration for the current year wherein his or her picture is displayed.
“9. So what if the pharmacist is not there?
“One should expect to see a sign hung on the exterior of the door to the inner enclosed room such as the ‘Pharmacist not on duty’ or ‘Pharmacist at lunch.’
“10. What do you mean by original certificate on display at the pharmacist’s place of work?
“We have noted situations where the pharmacist, being afraid of loss due to fire or theft has sought to display a photocopy of the original certificate. This is considered inappropriate as this action can mislead the public to determine whether the Pharmacist is still in the employ of his or her employer.
‘11. Could you explain the role of the Pharmacist?
‘The Pharmacist is involved in supervision of other staff. The Pharmacist is also involved in the counselling of patients and clients, etc. The Pharmacist must ensure that all containers used for dispensing are properly labelled and instructions given concerning use are clear. The pharmacy can pre-package medicines but they must be properly labelled.
“12. What is meant by over-the-counter medicines?
“OTC stands for over-the-counter. These are medicines you can buy without a prescription from the doctor and are available in establishments without a pharmacy, such as general stores, supermarkets, gas stations, etc.
As a general rule OTC drugs are generally used to treat a condition that does not require the direct supervision of a doctor and must be proven relatively safe and appropriate for self medication. OTC drugs are selected by a regulatory agency to ensure that the ingredients are safe and effective when used without a physician’s care.
“13. What should the public know when taking OTCs?
“Taking medicine: Dos and don’ts
● Do read the label carefully.
● Do take your medicine exactly as your doctor instructs.
● Do keep a complete list of all the OTC and prescription medicines you take. Make sure a friend or family member knows where you keep that list in case of an
emergency.
● Don’t combine prescription medicines and OTC medicines unless your doctor says it’s
okay.
● Don’t stop taking a prescription medicine, change how much you take, or change how often you take it without talking to your doctor first.
● Don’t take someone else’s medicine, whether OTC or prescription.
● Don’t use medicine after its expiration date.
● Don’t crush, break or chew tablets or capsules unless your doctor tells you it’s okay. Some medicines won’t work right unless they are swallowed whole.”
To be continued
