Boots refuse to help in Tsunami appeal

noakesdoc

I am co-ordinating a collection of medicines, dressings baby milk etc in my local area for the tsunami appeal. I have asked the local pharmacies for their help in giving patient returns, stock that is not needed or just out of date instead of incinerating or crushing it. What a waste!! All the pharmacists have been fantastic, some buying in and donating their own antibiotics and baby milk.
Boots meanwhile have just informed me that they are bound by pharmaceutical rules that dont allow this...
Sounds like an excuse for a cant be bothered multi-national company to me.
Personally i shall not take my business there either professionally or personally. I'll let all you guys decide for yourselves.

trafalgar_2

Can I please ask where/who you will be handing the antibiotics/medicines to ???

Nile

What a pity that Boots are playing by 'JobsWorth' rules ::).

I heard on the news that one of the first offers of help in the UK came from a man working for a Scottish water company. He realised that they had loads of bottled water in storage that would be shortly disposed of (reaching use by date) and wasted. He quickly got permission from his boss/firm to send it off to the tsunami victims, with help from a holiday chartered plane.....can't remember the companies involved but someone might post their names.

soolin

I'm probably going to be unpopular but I do see Boots point of view with regard to medicines and baby milk.

Baby milk is subject to rules and regulations after it has been shown to be the direct cause of death in several third world countries. Milk branded for the UK usually only has making up instructions in European languages and if it is handed out to mothers who cannot read the safety instructions it can be dangerous. If they don't have clean water what can they use to make the powdered milk up with?

Likewise, medicines are dangerous in unskilled hands. The idea of handing out old or pharmacy bottled medicies with no instructions in the correct language is definitely dangerous. Anti biotics are life savers when prescribed properly, but what happens when all the people in need get are boxes of coloured tablets with no instructions? Also anti biotics for children are usually in a liquid form that need to be made up by a pharmacist with sterile water and then kept refrigerated.

However, I do agree that non drug type items such as sterile dressings or bandages would be useful.

Soo

trafalgar_2

I'm probably going to be unpopular but I do see Boots point of view with regard to medicines and baby milk.

Baby milk is subject to rules and regulations after it has been shown to be the direct cause of death in several third world countries. Milk branded for the UK usually only has making up instructions in European languages and if it is handed out to mothers who cannot read the safety instructions it can be dangerous. If they don't have clean water what can they use to make the powdered milk up with?

Likewise, medicines are dangerous in unskilled hands. The idea of handing out old or pharmacy bottled medicies with no instructions in the correct language is definitely dangerous. Anti biotics are life savers when prescribed properly, but what happens when all the people in need get are boxes of coloured tablets with no instructions? Also anti biotics for children are usually in a liquid form that need to be made up by a pharmacist with sterile water and then kept refrigerated.

However, I do agree that non drug type items such as sterile dressings or bandages would be useful.

Soo

I agree ,which is why I asked where they were going ,I don't think the organised charities will accept such things anyway for the reasons you have stated ...............as for boots ,they are very probably making direct donation straight to the charites concerned anyway

Spendless

are the other pharmacies independant? Boots might be bound by their own HO policy - though i was surprised to read about milk/medicines going out for bthe reasons other peopler have put :-/

soolin

There are very strict guidelines regulating the use and provision of medicines as well as baby milk. Some independent pharmacists may decide not to abide by those regulations in this instance on the basis that they are unlikely to be caught , Boots on the other hand being larger and more corporate are probably more likely to understand the implication of not abiding by regulations.

Soo

noakesdoc

The medicines are going to the International Buddist Relief Organization based in Birmingham. They specifically asked for these to be given on BBC Breakfast last week. I telephoned them and confirmed that i would co-ordinate this operation in my area.
With regards to baby milk it does and has been donated in small cartons pre prepared, although bottled water can be shipped out also..which can be used for the mixing if the antibiotic mixtures.
As for rules as mentioned later in the thread all managers are able to bend them to a degree particularly when we are dealing with wastage here. The point is that Boots may well be giving a cash donation but why dicard perfectly usable medication??

noakesdoc

Martin also has a link in anything else questions who are requesting medical supplies.

Other ways to donate to the Tsunami
(cant work out how to put the link directly on). maybe i should go to the techie pages next

rygon

maybe its the sue each other state we live in that prevents them from giving it away..its great to help but if some finds that it could be dangerous in a different environment and kills ppl as a result it could lead to massive law suits...bad i know but in this day and age anything is possible unfortunately

serpico

Boots policy on this is likely to be because of the very with strict government controls and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society regulations in respect of medicines and drugs. That should only be dispensed and supplied under the strict supervision of a qualified registered Pharmacist.

The risk to just hand them over to anyone would be far to dangerous.

Or so my wife tells me, and she is a retired Superintendant Pharmacist.