Ribena Pastille: A Story About Conscience

Today is my fifth day of attachment in a community pharmacy near my house. It was boring, but i did learn many thing during the attachment there. The pharmacy is next to a liquor shop (kedai arak) where many people drink outside the shop and they are druken.

This morning an Indian man i would say about 50 years old walk in into the pharmacy with his grandson which is about 3 years old. 

Being five days here, its the 3rd time i saw him walk in. He is smelly and he wear dirty and shabby clothes but his grandchildren look clean. He always come to buy Ribena Pastille for his grandson before he drinks outside the next shop near the corridor.

But today he dont have enough money, the Ribena Pastille cost 90 cents and he only have 40 cents. He promise he will come to pay another 50 cents tomorrow.

At first my pharmacist dont want to give, the man pleaded and he promise to pay tomorrow because his grandson really wants it and he start crying. Then the man walk out and just about when he want to walk out of the door, the pharmacist (a women about 30 years something) ask the staff to give the boy the Ribena Pastilles and she just take that 40 cents.

At first I thought my pharmacist is stingy. It is just 50 cents and the boy is crying for it. 

Then only learn from my pharmacist that the men always come, he always dont have enough money to buy something, always owe but rarely pay and yet he has money to buy liquor and some cigarette in the shop next door.

Even if my the pharmacist did not sell it, it was the man which has no conscience. He could afford to buy liquor but could'nt even buy his grandson that 90 cents item.

I look through the door. The man is at the corridor of the next shop look half conscious, drinking and smoking. His 3 years old grandson is sitting on the dirty floor eating the Ribena Pastille but look happy.

Attachment, keterikatan.

It has been such a long time since I last post something on my blog. Just finished my third year and  on my boring community attachment in a community pharmacy near to my house. For those who didnt know, community pharmacy is retail pharmacy or in other word the kedai farmasi tepi2 jalan tu. Got it?

Talking about my community attachment, I did learn a few thing from her (my pharmacist or supervisor) which i did not learn in my lectures.

First thing in the morning on my first day, she told me that she would have accept me if not because she will be migrating to Australia. She told me she just wanted to help me, many retail pharmacist are not willing to take intern because they have been doing many thing not according to the law as absurd as not locking the shelf for poison for example.

My pharmacist used to get warning for not locking her shelf. For those who didnt know, actually there is 2 types of medicines, the supplements (not really medicine) such as vitamins, minerals and the other one is poison (not really poison) such as drugs for your blood pressure, antidiabetic drug et cetera.

My pharmacist also told me that there is a difference between a coursemate and a friend.  I agree with her because me myself has been labelling people as 'kenalan' and 'kawan'. Not all my the persons that I know are my friend.

She also told me that in this world, not everything are working as it should. Many things are running as its required. It is hard for a retail pharmacy to survive by following the law given that there is no dispensing separation in Malaysia. She asked me. "A patient come to your pharmacy asking for antibiotic and the person do not have a prescription from doctor, if you dont sell, the person might scold you or might simply walk out politely and go to other pharmacy just a few metres ahead".

It is hard to survive to make a living just on OTC medicine like Panadol and Cough syrup which is also sold by other kedai runcit which dont have to take 4 years degree like you. OTC stands for over the counter which refer to medicine that can be sold without prescription from doctor.

I asked why she left hospital service, she said she opted out because of racism. "This is Malaysia, people say there is no racism, but it does actually exist.

I do not agree with her all the time but i did agree with her most of the time. She teach me about business more than about pharmacy. I still bored me but at least not as boring as Pharmacy is concerned.

Actually im not planning to talk further about my community attachment when I want to write this article but its turned up like this.

Endnote:
Bukan semua yang lulus periksa itu betul cara fikirnya. Sistem ini ada kecacatannya -Dr MAZA-

Changes.

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