Pharmacy

This is the Pharmacy in Glossa, it's proprietor is Tereza, a fully qualified pharmacist. I believe she inherited the business from her mother, another fully qualified pharmacist who still works in the shop sometimes. Tereza's mother speaks French as well as Greek, which is pretty handy as the very largest, most ostentatious homes here are owned by French-speakers. Tereza is married to Stefanos, another fully qualified pharmacist, who probably works more hours in the shop than Tereza. Stefanos speaks English as well as Greek which is pretty handy for almost anyone who doesn't speak Greek.

The thing with Greek pharmacists is that they can sort-of stand in for a doctor. You can tell a pharmacist what ails you and he can decide what you should take for it or tell you that you should really go to see the doctor. If he notices that you are buying an over-the-counter medicine that bit too often he will tell you that your ailment has gone on too long and it is time you took it to the doctor. After my surgery I had to have a series of injections and when the doctor's surgery was closed I could get the pharmacist to give me the jab in the back room there.

Nobody else is licensed to sell medicines, or teats for babies bottles. You can't get a packet of Nurofen from a supermarket any more than you can get a packet of cigarettes there. In Greece we do not have 'one-stop-shops'.

I am told that the big drug companies are putting pressure on Europe to change this. Companies like Bayer want us to be able to get over-the-counter medicines in supermarkets. They want us to be able to get prescription medicines in supermarkets. They would be very happy for a semi-qualified pharmacist to work a couple of hours three days a week in a supermarket filling out prescriptions. That would put people like Tereza and her family out of business. Our little community would lose an important health service, as would countless little communities throughout Greece and possibly throughout Europe.

Poor quality shot taken on the hoof