Why do pharmacists take so long to fill prescriptions?
An old adage goes, "Patience is a virtue." But humans aren't always calm and collected, especially when reaching the peak of that patience. Another old saying states good things come to those who wait—does this apply when waiting in long lines and queues?
Case in point: Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Director Gilbert Remulla aired his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) about the "bad service" and waiting time he experienced at a pharmacy chain.
"It's about time Mercury Drug gets some serious competition. I hope a businessman, entrepreneur or conglomerate can put something together," he wrote, emphasizing the bad experience he had when it comes to the drugstore's "service" and "waiting time."
It’s about time Mercury Drug gets some serious competition. I hope a businessman, entrepreneur or conglomerate can put something together.
Their waiting time and service is so bad. pic.twitter.com/lKKsuCsdci— Gilbert C. Remulla (@GilbertCRemulla) January 15, 2024
As of writing, the tweets earned more than 7.2 million views.
Online reactions
The former journalist's comments against the drugstore rubbed social media users the wrong way, with some saying he's probably not used to waiting in long queues.
"Hindi nila alam na may mga ordinaryong Pilipino na pumipila ng buong isang araw, minsan higit pa mula madaling araw para sa serbisyo ng gobyerno," an X user wrote.
"Spot on! Entitled politicians. I wonder if natry na din nya pumila sa mga govt agencies or even sa MRT/LRT, which is far worse sa naexperience nya sa MD," another user said.
Other social media users somehow validated Remulla's sentiments.
"Both sides have a point. Two times a month ako bumibili ng maintenance meds for my parents. And always I opted sa Mercury D. Some senior/pwd in the special lane nag rereklamo since maraming attendant but iisa lang ang cashier.But I appreciate na double check nila always yung meds," another X user chided.
"I agree. Not feeling entitled, but most of the time, longer pa yung pila ng seniors. Some don't have anyone to send on an errand and aren't too mobile to go to other branches. A 15-minute wait is about average. They only have one person taking payments & that's the bottleneck."
Why do pharmacies take so long to fill prescriptions?
Arshie Larga, a registered pharmacist and a TikTok star known for his relatable medical explainers and inspiring videos, reacted to the viral tweet, wondering how long the government official queued and gave a reason why there was a wait.
I wonder kung gaano sya katagal pumila? What if naghintay ka sa pila dahil maraming bumibili? or maraming kang binibiling gamot at gusto lang siguraduhin na tama ang ibibigay na gamot sayo?
— Arshie Larga (@Arshiethromycin) January 16, 2024
Baka sanay po kasi kayo na pagdating nyo pa lang eh gusto nyo kayo agad ang iniintindi. https://t.co/2sFE2EzjKH
"As much as possible sa botika gusto namin kayo i-serve ng mabilis without committing any dispensing errors. Konting patience lang naman ang hinihingi namin, buti sana kung candy lang yung binibili nyo," the TikTok create said.
He added, "Kung di naman emergency at hindi kayang maghintay may ibang botika pa naman."
Filling prescriptions involves organizing the medications required by patients and getting them ready to be used. However, handling medicine can be a tough job as pharmacists need to cater to hundreds of customers every day.
"We have multiple procedures and verifications before we can fill the prescription. A pharmacist does so much more than filling the medication for patients every day. We also do patient counseling to educate the patients," Lorraine Guelas, a registered pharmacist, told PhilSTAR L!fe.
"We need to consider errors on the prescription like mismatched generic name and brand name, milligrams of prescribed medication, not readable, self-medication on antibiotics," she added.
Meanwhile, Armeina Tampoc, a hospital pharmacist, shared with L!fe that since most of MD's customers' purchases are maintenance medicines, which are multiple drugs in one prescription, proper checking is a must.
"Most of the time, iisa lang duty sa every store so it may take a while to ensure every medicine na lalabas sa counter is right," she said. "We understand na minsan matagal but we do not want to rush and cause a dispensing error."
Meanwhile, Czarina Conte, a former Mercury Drug intern, said that the issue regarding the bad service and waiting time of the pharmacy chain stems from the most common misconception that pharmacists are challenged by: "taga-benta ng gamot."
"While most drugs are bought over-the-counter (OTC drugs), there are Rx drugs that we need to double-check first. We have to remain ethical with every transaction. And some prescriptions even require drug preparation, while others need clearance from PDEA or such before being released," she explained.
This also rings true for John Reen Lumapas, who worked in pharmacy for almost five years. He said that people like him also need to explain the medicine to the customers, which also consumes time.
"Just in case na out of stock naman yung brand ng patient, nag rerecommend ako ng generic medicines or other brands or mas mura if prefer ng patient after fulfilling the medicines, that's the time na ie-explain ko na isa-isa ang medicines, on how to take it, kailan iinumin, expiry ng medicines sasabihin kay patient, how many days shall the patient must take his/her medicine."
PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to Mercury Drug for a possible comment but has yet to receive a response.