In which socialised healthcare strikes again

[zeborah]

The woe, the calamity: I found a pharmacist (nearer than I'd hoped) and said, "Hi, can I have some asthma medicine?" and he said, "Yes, here you are, it is free!" (Both my preventative and my rescue inhaler. The labels have "E Earthquake Supply" printed on them.) He didn't have a spacer but suggested a GP, so I found one of them and said, "Hi, can I have a spacer?" and they said, "Just have a seat, for we are tremendously busy," and I had a seat among the crowd and prepared to wait for a long time, but within two minutes a doctor (I think? maybe a nurse actually) came and said, "Here is your spacer, it is free, and you're doing the right thing."

Doing the right thing by asking for free stuff. But of course it is: because if the government pays a little in handing out this free stuff now to keep people healthy, it saves a hell of a lot of money very quickly that would have to be spent rescuing the sick. (Eg 65 calls last night to the ambulance service with respiratory problems due to the dust.) This is very starkly true in an emergency situation, but it's no less true in civilised life. It's far cheaper to keep people healthy than to heal the ill.

I did pay for the panadol.

In other news, out the back of Countdown Eastgate they're throwing trolley-loads of groceries into skips. I was too far across the street to see whether it was ruined produce destined for landfill or good stock to be moved to a safer distribution point (okay so I'm an optimist). The latter would certainly be nice. "Don't worry about food, there's plenty in the surviving supermarkets, which just all happen to be on the northwest side of town, and by the way stay off the roads," is getting to be an irritating message, even though I personally have sufficient food and means of getting more.

Comments

[poetrychook.blogspot.com]

The nearest supermarket to both you and us would be Freshchoice Barrington I think - though my boss's wife says Pak n Save Moorhouse is open even though not advertised as such. But yes, for those with no transport they are both quite a long way.
It is of course the poorest who can't afford to have emergency supplies, and are least likely to have transport to get them.

[zeborah]

Apparently the supermarket on the corner of Stanmore/Worcester is open, which is near enough to me to do. And yes, Pak'n'Save Moorhouse is open, I saw it on their website. I saw that New World St Martins is too damaged to reopen though.