I was waiting for my ordered medicines over the counter when an elderly woman to my left expressed concerned about her discount as a senior citizen. I couldn't help but pay attention.
"I don't have it with me but how come other pharmacies grant me discount even without the prescription?" said the woman to a lady pharmacist. The old woman was referring to the prescription which the pharmacist was requiring before she grants the old woman her senior citizen discount.
"Why, what medicine is that?" I asked the pharmacist.
"Atorvastatin," she answered.
Maintenance medicine. Indeed, it is a prescription medicine. But how come this pharmacist gave it to the old woman without the prescription?
"You released the medicine without prescription and yet you do not want to grant her the discount? The 20% discount for senior citizens is automatic according to the law. There is no condition to that for as long as they have their senior citizen ID." I pried in.
"No, ma'am. That is the rule." Said another lady pharmacist who was also listening to the conversation and seem more senior than the other one who attended to the old woman.
"Who's rule? This pharmacy?" I asked.
"No, ma'am. Their senior citizenship," she answered.
"No way. Again, there is no other condition to the discount except their proof that they are seniors. That is according to the law. In the first place, you should have not given her the medicine if you require a prescription," I insisted.
She kept quiet and went on attending to another customer. That is basically ignoring me. I turned to the old woman and convinced her to speak up but she just murmured her agreement with me.
"Yes, other pharmacies give me the discount even without prescription. Once they saw the prescription at first, they understand that that medicine is for maintenance so they just give it to me on my next purchases," she said.
"Then speak up. Someone must make the complain official," I urged her further. Unfortunately, she just put the medicine in her purse, pouted, kept quiet and started to leave. I can not further fight for others who don't want to fight for themselves so I also kept quiet. But my thoughts keep wondering...
How could others not have the heart for the less privileged and the weak?