23 jan 2010

Everybody likes saving money whenever possible, but it seems when people get something for free they can start to get quite picky. I had a patient come in this week that was adamant that since her Protium (PI pack) was manufactured in Europe it was of an inferior quality and that she was not going to be 'conned’ into having it. She also informed me that she would not take any drugs that were not made in England and did not want any of "the cheaper drugs from the EU."

I tried to explain that this was not like comparing a Hugo Boss suit with an Asda George one because in fact the manufacturer was the same, just in another country, hence cheaper to buy due to exchange rate fluctuations and some other factors. She stuck to her guns and told me that it was cheaper because it was of a lesser quality. I explained that due to the Euro's recent strength that in fact interestingly some of the European drugs may well have become more expensive and according to her theory became better in quality whilst still sitting on dispensary shelves.

It did make me smile as it would have been easier, and if it were up to me I would have just offered to order in UK brands for her. However, since I was a mere employee and having previously been informed that the pharmacy was only buying and supplying the PI version, I thought I’d try to settle her misconception and keep everyone happy. Getting absolutely nowhere, the manager thankfully stepped in and informed the patient that he would be able to accommodate in this instance but reiterated that both the drugs would still be identical in their quality as they were actually both made by Nycomed.

I bet if she had to pay for it then she would have chosen the more cost-effective one! Anyway, we agreed that she would leave the prescription and return in a few days; enough time for us to order in all UK manufactured medication for all her other branded medication too, including Half-Inderal.

I totally understand when patients tolerate a certain brand over another, but this particular patient did not fall under this blanket and just before leaving she said something along the lines of "I refuse to take anything that wasn't 100% made in the UK and won't be fobbed off with any European alternatives"...

I saw her that same week in the cafe eating a croissant - I was tempted to walk over to her table and swap it for a piece of toast!...