Last week I saw an ad posted at the counter of a drug outlet near my house. It reads "WANTED: Sales Clerk. High School Graduate -- Stay-in." I shook my head at the sight of it and thought why things like this still happen in the way we practice pharmacy.

While our foreign counterparts have licensed pharmacy technicians, we still settle for the services of high school graduates who have no or little pharmaceutical background. Not to mention that we also have colleges and schools of pharmacy that offer pharmacy technician course. What's worse about it is the fact that these sales clerks are left alone in most drug stores without the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist.

A few days ago, I posed as a customer of this drug outlet. I was able to purchase one tablet of captopril 50 mg without a prescription and two tablets of aspirin 80 mg. To check if I'll be given the right information, I asked if the captopril tablet can be divided since what will be needed is 25 mg per dose. (The truth is, I later donated the drugs to our patients in the ICU.) She replied in the affirmative. But when I asked if both drugs can be taken at the same time, she nodded her head without looking at me.

I know she was not sure about her answer but did not bother to call the pharmacist. I don't even expect the pharmacist to be there at 6 AM, anyway!

I have already filed a complaint against this drug outlet early last year for not having a full time pharmacist who will supervise during business hours. Although BFAD has acted on it by referring it to the DOH Center for Health Development, I am still waiting for the report regarding the latest status of the complaint.

In the meantime, I wonder how many will still get wrong information about the drugs they buy from this drug outlet...