And I Almost Cried
I don't mean cry as in cry with frustration. I really do mean cry as in sad.
See what happened was this old lady came to collect glucosamine and chondroitin for her joint problems yesterday. Unfortunately, the hospital does not stock any generic versions of it so she had to take the branded one. When informed of the price she was flustered because she did not bring enough money. She calmed down after I explained to her that she can collect the supplement by installments. Maybe just take 1 or 2 bottles first, finish up, then collect the remainder.
She followed my advice and took 2 bottles with the promise that she would return soon to collect the remainder. I reassured her that there is no hurry for her to collect the remainder as 2 bottles will last her 2 months, giving her ample time till the next collection.
To my surprise, she turned up at my counter today to collect the remainder from the prescription. However, she must have misheard me from yesterday with regards to the price. She had thought it was just $200 for the remainder when in fact it was actually $240. Something struck me when she tried to pay me. I at least saw a fifty dollar note yesterday, but today, it is all in ten and two dollar notes, and they look slightly crumpled like those were all her entire possession. When she realised she need to pay another $40, she quietly opened her purse and started pulling out whatever money she has to make up the $40; all in two dollar notes if you care to know.
She did not grumble about the cost, and maintained a cheerful disposition throughout. From her looks I know she cannot be well-off. Having to fork out $200+ at one go must really take some effort. When I received the last $40 I can feel a sting in my eyes. Asked her if she still has enough change to get home, she nodded and gave me a wry smile. I know life is not fair, but knowing somebody like her who can really benefit from some financial help and yet not receiving any really makes me want to cry.
See what happened was this old lady came to collect glucosamine and chondroitin for her joint problems yesterday. Unfortunately, the hospital does not stock any generic versions of it so she had to take the branded one. When informed of the price she was flustered because she did not bring enough money. She calmed down after I explained to her that she can collect the supplement by installments. Maybe just take 1 or 2 bottles first, finish up, then collect the remainder.
She followed my advice and took 2 bottles with the promise that she would return soon to collect the remainder. I reassured her that there is no hurry for her to collect the remainder as 2 bottles will last her 2 months, giving her ample time till the next collection.
To my surprise, she turned up at my counter today to collect the remainder from the prescription. However, she must have misheard me from yesterday with regards to the price. She had thought it was just $200 for the remainder when in fact it was actually $240. Something struck me when she tried to pay me. I at least saw a fifty dollar note yesterday, but today, it is all in ten and two dollar notes, and they look slightly crumpled like those were all her entire possession. When she realised she need to pay another $40, she quietly opened her purse and started pulling out whatever money she has to make up the $40; all in two dollar notes if you care to know.
She did not grumble about the cost, and maintained a cheerful disposition throughout. From her looks I know she cannot be well-off. Having to fork out $200+ at one go must really take some effort. When I received the last $40 I can feel a sting in my eyes. Asked her if she still has enough change to get home, she nodded and gave me a wry smile. I know life is not fair, but knowing somebody like her who can really benefit from some financial help and yet not receiving any really makes me want to cry.
posted by Yamosh at 8:22 PM
1 Comments:
I was wondering do you guys in hosp carry generic glucosamine on its own?
usu the ones with chondriotin are more expensive and chondriotin is not well-studied to be effective for the cartilage altho it is a component of it...
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