An Austrian lady had left home without her medication.
Could I come and write some prescriptions?
These requests arrive regularly. In the past, I offered to phone a pharmacy, but this
took a long time as guests scrambled to find the name, dose, and instructions.
Nowadays I tell them to go to a pharmacy, explain exactly what they need, and
give my number. I would approve over the phone.
Guests are pleased that it is so simple and more
pleased to learn that I don’t charge for this.
Later, a caller explained that he was the tour leader
for an Austrian group. “You gave a prescription for one of our members. Could
you tell me where is the pharmacy?”
The lady’s English was poor, so she had misheard me. I
repeated that the guest had to go to the pharmacy and describe precisely what
she needed. An hour later, I answered another call from the tour leader. He was
at a pharmacy near the hotel; he had given the names of the lady’s medication,
but they had refused to accept them. Again, I explained that the lady had to
tell the pharmacist precisely what she needed.
An hour later, a pharmacist informed me that a foreign
customer was requesting several medications. He wanted to know the dose and
instructions. I told him that he would have to get this information from the
guest.
Several hours passed before the pharmacy called again
because the lady had had to phone her doctor in Austria. One of her drugs was
not available in the US. What would I advise?... I had no idea but suggested
that he probably knew an equivalent. After some research, he found one and
called back. I agreed with his suggestion.
Don’t forget to pack your pills.