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calendar   Monday - January 07, 2008

A NANNY STATE and THE TRICKLE DOWN SYNDROME

A RANT TO START OFF THE NEW YEAR 1/6/08

A NANNY STATE and THE TRICKLE DOWN SYNDROME
or – How to Get Your Meds and an Rx in a Nanny State.

This country – this island – This beautiful and green soon to be paved over England,
with a population of over sixty million and growing – has more ministries and
ministers then the bloated government of my own country – the USA.  At least it feels that way.

There’s a minister for children and in fact I think there might be two of em. There’s a ministry for women but I don’t think there’s one for men.  And of course the ruling almighty ministry for Health and Safety.  Those nice folks have as their life’s mission the God given duty to see to it by whatever means are necessary, that nobody ever get hurt and that includes peoples’ feelings.  Every aspect of your being from cradle to grave will be looked over by this agency. 

For example, Under Health and Safety some barbers can not use a straight razor in all instances.  On a mans haircut for instance, no razor around the ears, as we’re used to in the states.  Here, that’d be a health and safety violation.

Lock yourself out of your car and thinking you’re lucky because LOOK THERE!  A police car just pulling up almost right next to you.  Saved.  Oh yeah?  Not so fast sport. A cop can’t use a slim jim or any other device to pop open your lock.
Under Health and Safety regulations he can’t do that.  But … he will take the time to drive you home, get a spare set of keys and chauffer you back to your car.
Now how that’s safer then popping your lock in a few seconds is something to be pondered.  I’m still working on that one.  Soon as I unlock the riddle I’ll pass on the answer.  Health and Safety.  That’s the mantra.

Meanwhile, England has a very serious problem with something called binge drinking.  It’s reported to be the worst in all of Europe and so far nobody I’m aware of has figured out what to do about that.  They passed new legislation last year allowing pubs to be open 24 hours.  Apparently Health and Safety folks think if people have enough time drinking they won’t be falling down in the streets and may sober up by morning.  Yeah I know.  Doesn’t sound right to me either but hey, I just report what I hear and read in the papers.

This part of my nannyism diatribe I call; PENALIZE The GUILTLESS cause we’re easy targets.
Now then, I can’t speak with authority or claim to be an expert on all things English.
However I do claim that authority on those things I have personal experience with.
And the following is my experience over the past week in trying to get a perfectly legal Over The Counter cough medication.  Notice my use of caps on those words.  I just wanna make sure you know that’s exactly what I’m writing about.  Over the counter meds. Legal. Don’t need a docs Rx.  In fact, the medication for a painful and persistent cough was recommended by my doctor.

It has now become my personally lived experience where only the law abiding are penalized.

Aspirin.  Yeah, that deadly and dangerous concoction first dreamed up by German chemists all those many years ago. Aspirin … sold in packs of 28 tablets.  In fact, most meds sold here if pill or capsule come in packs of 28.  That’s so people can’t use em to commit suicide.  They used to sell in bottles of 100. 

Safety Coated Aspirin.  As in, Safety Coated Aspirin.  Not sold over the counter, but behind it.  Safety coated aspirin is sold ONLY with a doctor’s written Rx.
And my doctor and dentist didn’t even know that till I had to go back to the dentist’s office and ask for an Rx for safety coated aspirin.  Health and Safety hard at work on my behalf.  I feel so warm and cozy now. Someone cares. A whole agency made up of hundreds of …. silly people who care about my well being.  Of course, that doesn’t mean I might not get beaten to death by drunks out for fun as happens here on a regular basis.
H & S doesn’t cover that little problem too well.

I’m surprised that fireworks as in fireworks, boom,sparkle and bang are so widely available and used on occasions such as New Year celebration, birthday celebrations,
graduations and various historical events.  But safety coated aspirin is treated like a class ‘A’ drug and then sold in limited amounts with a doctor’s Rx.

In the US if you’ve been seeing a doctor for some time, he knows what meds you’re on should you require a refill or a new prescription.  At days end his PA or nurse will call it in to your pharmacy for you.  Usually, on refills you simply call your pharmacist.  But not here.  If there’s a difficult way to do things, Brits go out of their way to find it.  As my Brit wife reminds me.  There are two ways of doing things here.  The easy, rational, logical way – and the Brit way.

I don’t know what the policy is in other parts of this country— but here in Winchester, England’s first capital city long before London, we can no longer call our doctor’s office and ask for an Rx.  You must email your request using a non encrypted email to the office, and then allow a period of two or three days before going into the office to pick it up and take it to a pharmacy.  Or else, if you’d like your Rx delivered to a pharmacy of your choice, the office will put your Rx in a bag with that pharmacy’s label on it. Someone will make a pick up every morning and once it gets to your pharmacy, if your medication is in stock they will fill it.  But usually it takes a week.  If you bring in a refill request to a pharmacy, they then send that prescription BACK to the doctors office for approval on a medication that already has been marked as approved for so many refills.  Simple huh?  Stay with me please.  I’m almost done and this gets worse I promise.  What?  You thought I’d say it gets better?
Haven’t you been reading this?  This is an actual confirmation from a doctor’s office
after emailing a request for a prescription. Look how long the wait is for an Rx.

“YOUR PRESCRIPTION REQUEST HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
Please be aware that this service is for prescriptions only and other requests cannot be dealt with via E-mail.
When collecting from the surgery, please allow two full working days.
When collecting from a Chemist or requesting delivery, please allow 5 working days.”

(a note here. a surgery is an office. surgery isn’t performed there. a politicians office is also referred to as a surgery.)

I asked them how they thought people without computers would manage this new rule they put in place.  I didn’t get any answer that made sense.  But why should it? This is Britain in the year 2008.

After many weeks of asking and getting a prescription for something called Codeine
Linctus, the one med so far that’s found to work on a very nasty cough, my doctor then informs me that I can buy it over the counter without a prescription.  Wanna Bet?

Here’s exactly what I faced when trying to buy this particular medication for my cough. 

Pharmacy ~1
At our local pharmacy about a mile away, we’re informed that only the manager
can order that drug, and she’s on Christmas holiday and won’t return till Jan. 7.
Also, they don’t like to stock that medication as they have to order it by the case of 12 (small bottles).  Fine, we’ll buy the whole case then since it’s an over the counter (so my doctor thinks) medication.  Well no, it has codeine in it and people have been known to become addicted to it due to the codeine.  No foolin’ – guess what chemical suppresses coughs.  Duh!
But okay, nothing for it but to go into town and stop by a pharmacy on the high street.

Pharmacy~2
Can I buy some Codeine Linctus for my cough please? 
Reply. We don’t like to stock it and don’t feel comfortable selling it due to people abusing it.  Okay … screw em. If they don’t want my money I’ll go to the biggest pharmacy on the high street.  Boots.  (I think been bought by American company last year)

Pharmacy~3
Can I get yadda,yadda I ask.  They don’t sell that so I asked for the codeine stuff.
Reply from the pharmacist. “ No.  We don’t stock it over the counter because it’s
an abuseable medication.” Fine I say. Can you sell it to me under or behind the counter. After all, my doctor said it was okay.  Sorry he says.  We won’t stock it.

WELCOME ALL TO THE NANNY STATE WHERE EVEN INDIVIDUALS CAN DECIDE FOR YOU REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR OWN DOCTOR SAYS.
Do you suppose the folks who actually do abuse drugs or use them for recreation ever have any problems getting Class’A’ drugs?

It’s so much easier to penalize the non abuser.  That’s the one easy thing the Brits actually do.  It’s so easy to penalize the already law abiding.

Nanny Knows.
- 30 -


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