DISPENSING PRESCRIPTIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 23 October 1941, Page 4

DISPENSING PRESCRIPTIONS

DIFFICULTY DURING RUSH HOURS HELP Ol PUBLIC SOUGHT Wellington, This Day. The difficulty experienced by chemists in dispensing prescriptions left with them at rush periods of the day was mentioned by the Minister of Health. Mr Nordineyer, in an interview {last evening. He asked for the assistance of the public by leaving prescrip- ! tions with their chemists as early as possible. "About a year ago.” said Mr Nordj meyer, “my colleague, the Minister of Industries and Commerce, made a pub ; lie statement concerning the difficulties under which chemists were Working in completing prescriptions left with them durin rush periods. A very good response on the part of the public was noted at the time, and it has again become necessary to amplify the ap-1 peal then made because of the ad- i ditional work created in some cases [from the introduction of Pharmaceutical Supplies Benefits under the Social i Security Act. A good number of qualiI Tied chemists and pharmacy assistants ! having enlisted for active service, the ! task of coping with dispensing work at rush hours has become a real diffi- | culty. It is customary to dispense prescriptions in the order received over I ( the counter, but it may soon be necesI sary for the chemist to exercise some' ; discretion as to which prescriptions, in I his opinion, call for prior attention.” Mr Nordmeyer said the public could ! ■assist by leaving their prescriptions os early as possible and particularly j j where it was a case of repeating a prejscription. If people would ring their j | chemist and notify him of their in-; J tention to call, say on the following )day, for non-urgent prescriptions, it l l would give the chemist an opportunity to spread his work over the slack period. The Minister said he felt sure i that it was only necessary to draw atj tention to the matter to secure the ready co-operation of the public.—P.A.