I was reading some articles from Pharmacy Gateway to get an update on Bill 16 these days after the tour to keep myself updated on this issue (as any member of the pharmacy profession, including myself, should these days). May 18 was a dark day for the pharmacy profession, as Bill 16 had passed third reading then. It was also an event that I had expected ever since the issue had arisen a few months ago. The only twist to the story is that Minister Matthews have stalled on the implementation of the regulatory changes by “reviewing submissions” for a month.
I have mixed and, quite frankly, quite cynical feelings about Minister Matthews’ gesture on this issue. True, it has been settled between the pharmacy students and Minister Matthews that she would agree to delay the implementation of the bill and use the time to review more submissions. She has kept her word in that sense. However, the truth of her actions cannot be evaluated. With my cynicism in politicians, I truly doubt that she will truly consider the feasibility of those submissions, which are all great ideas.
It’s almost like an episode of Daily Planet on Discovery Channel about different possible oil-spill clean-up technologies aired a week ago. The technologies introduced in that segment were brilliantly simple, cost-effective and worthy of being the solution for a missing clean-up method. However, as Jay had said, the technologies would never get considered to clean the present oil spill (probably from political reasons again) and are claimed to be chosen for the “next” spill, only to be at a loss of clean up methods again in the next spill because they have conveniently forgotten about those previous methods.
I have a feeling that Matthews will act like she is genuinely reviewing the submissions to acknowledge what she had said to the pharmacy students, but will implement what was originally planned once the issues have sunken back into a low-profile status. I don’t doubt that the original plan of eliminating professional allowances to lower generic drug prices would remain. Personally, they can take that all away – it was frankly an area of less transparency in pharmacy that gives space for the public and government to slander the profession (which was exactly what happened). HOWEVER, the government MUST give back sufficient funding for pharmacy services. Like what the student tour advocated, without these pharmacy services, the profession cannot provide quality healthcare to patients of local communities. The question remains whether the public and the government realizes this.
Deb Matthews, prove me wrong this time and consider each submission carefully for its cost-effectiveness, for the sake of the pharmacy profession, the patients in Ontario and the quality of the healthcare system. I’ll even say PLEASE!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The end to advocating for pharmacy? Never...
Yesterday concludes the Stop Cuts Student Tour. Day 15 brought us to Collingwood, a worthy location for the end of the tour. Although the last day was previously reserved for London, we went to Collingwood in a last minute decision because there was a Liberal meeting in Blue Mountain that was attended by many important politicians, including McGuinty and Deb Matthews. Because of this, we had decided to do a peaceful protest in front of the conference centre, where the meeting was held. We had also organized ourselves to stand united with a single, consistent media message, as we had expected the media to come and produce a messy scene. However, because the media never showed up, the politicians did not have any incentive to enter and we, as the students, did not have a chance to speak with McGuinty himself about these funding issues to pharmacies.
After acquiring rather hoarse voices from hollering for an hour straight, we went back to the bus to grab some lunch before heading back home. Today was probably one of the most uneventful days of the tour. However, given the fact that most people were quite tired from being on the bus and travelling to a different community every day, I was relieved that it was not as crazy and energy-consuming as other days.
Upon looking back at this tour, I have truly learned much more about the realities in the pharmacy profession, including the non-transparencies in the government and the pharmaceutical company. I have also learned more about myself and my capabilities. More importantly, I have matured in aspects that I otherwise would not have without this tour, both as a pharmacy student and as a relatively sheltered person. Given how much I value knowledge, I am forever grateful that I had this opportunity to be on this tour to advocate for the pharmacy profession in this period of turmoil and instability.
Thanks to the media who forced me to be careful with my words and understand the importance of self-image to the public. (You would think that it would be enough listening to my parents; it's quite a different story being on camera or on the newspaper having everyone see you and your words being twisted!) Thanks to our driver who took us to each and every destination in a safe and timely manner, and made sure that everyone was fed properly before proceeding to our jobs. Thanks to the PR and canvassing staff who trained us to be media-ready and organized us into our tasks. Thanks to the students of our tour for being so inspiring for me to do my job everyday, even on a rainy day. Most of all, thanks to the entire pharmacy profession and the Ontario patients who understand the importance of pharmacists in our healthcare system. Without all of your support, sharing of knowledge and inspiration, we would have not had the motivation or resources to continue to fight for the profession.
Pharmacy cannot succeed by itself, but can only be successful with the support of the public that it serves. Please help us help your health!
After acquiring rather hoarse voices from hollering for an hour straight, we went back to the bus to grab some lunch before heading back home. Today was probably one of the most uneventful days of the tour. However, given the fact that most people were quite tired from being on the bus and travelling to a different community every day, I was relieved that it was not as crazy and energy-consuming as other days.
Upon looking back at this tour, I have truly learned much more about the realities in the pharmacy profession, including the non-transparencies in the government and the pharmaceutical company. I have also learned more about myself and my capabilities. More importantly, I have matured in aspects that I otherwise would not have without this tour, both as a pharmacy student and as a relatively sheltered person. Given how much I value knowledge, I am forever grateful that I had this opportunity to be on this tour to advocate for the pharmacy profession in this period of turmoil and instability.
Thanks to the media who forced me to be careful with my words and understand the importance of self-image to the public. (You would think that it would be enough listening to my parents; it's quite a different story being on camera or on the newspaper having everyone see you and your words being twisted!) Thanks to our driver who took us to each and every destination in a safe and timely manner, and made sure that everyone was fed properly before proceeding to our jobs. Thanks to the PR and canvassing staff who trained us to be media-ready and organized us into our tasks. Thanks to the students of our tour for being so inspiring for me to do my job everyday, even on a rainy day. Most of all, thanks to the entire pharmacy profession and the Ontario patients who understand the importance of pharmacists in our healthcare system. Without all of your support, sharing of knowledge and inspiration, we would have not had the motivation or resources to continue to fight for the profession.
Pharmacy cannot succeed by itself, but can only be successful with the support of the public that it serves. Please help us help your health!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Belleville - C'est belle!
Each community will have their share of nice and not-so-nice people. I had the privilege of meeting the nice people today. A pharmacy provided us with brief, but very much appreciated, hospitality. We were able to meet with some of the pharmacists, me being able to talk about our experiences with an older one who was incredibly nice. These pharmacists had accompanied us to the MPP’s office, where we had rallied. 4 of our student team entered in conversation with the MPP, who had specifically wanted to talk with students. Our PR person had come in as well (she looked young enough to be one of us anyway) to take notes during the conversation. The conversation was said to have gone very well and she had agreed to push for more negotiations at the table before implementing the new regulatory changes to DIDFA.
Afterwards, we had canvassed for 2 hours, and my friend and I once again were together canvassing. (We make such a good team anyway!) On our way back, we had encountered a lady who was known as the oldest person with FASD. FASD, or foetal alcohol syndrome, is a condition that results when the mother of the baby has taken excessive amounts of alcohol during the pregnancy. It is known that the alcohol has detrimental effects on the development of the baby, including certain neurological deficits due to the alcohol hindering brain development. There is now some movement towards educating the public to not drink if there was a possibility that one could be pregnant, as it would then avoid foetal exposure to such alcohol and thus, avoid the brain of the baby from not developing properly.
Anyway, it was so inspiring to hear her talk. She completely agreed that the services that pharmacies provide are essential to the patients with FASD. She sees this first-hand with these patients, as she is a volunteer receptionist at a centre that provides education about FASD. Not to mention, having such a condition would further make her understanding the needs of these patients as well. What struck me was her explanation that FASD patients has trouble understanding the words that are read or listened; therefore, FASD patients may not understand what is put on the label or said through patient counselling. Therefore, pharmacists must act out how to take the medications in order to properly show how their patients should take their medications. That is something that I will forever keep in mind whenever I see anyone with FASD.
She had referred us to the pharmacist who serves all of these FASD patients. She had even given us directions to how to get to her pharmacy. Unfortunately, we were not able to do so due to the tight schedule that our tour was running. Even more unfortunate was our lack of ability to actually explain to her that we were not going to be able to go there. However, I would never forget this experience. I will use this to educate myself in FASD and how to communicate effectively with FASD patients.
Afterwards, we had canvassed for 2 hours, and my friend and I once again were together canvassing. (We make such a good team anyway!) On our way back, we had encountered a lady who was known as the oldest person with FASD. FASD, or foetal alcohol syndrome, is a condition that results when the mother of the baby has taken excessive amounts of alcohol during the pregnancy. It is known that the alcohol has detrimental effects on the development of the baby, including certain neurological deficits due to the alcohol hindering brain development. There is now some movement towards educating the public to not drink if there was a possibility that one could be pregnant, as it would then avoid foetal exposure to such alcohol and thus, avoid the brain of the baby from not developing properly.
Anyway, it was so inspiring to hear her talk. She completely agreed that the services that pharmacies provide are essential to the patients with FASD. She sees this first-hand with these patients, as she is a volunteer receptionist at a centre that provides education about FASD. Not to mention, having such a condition would further make her understanding the needs of these patients as well. What struck me was her explanation that FASD patients has trouble understanding the words that are read or listened; therefore, FASD patients may not understand what is put on the label or said through patient counselling. Therefore, pharmacists must act out how to take the medications in order to properly show how their patients should take their medications. That is something that I will forever keep in mind whenever I see anyone with FASD.
She had referred us to the pharmacist who serves all of these FASD patients. She had even given us directions to how to get to her pharmacy. Unfortunately, we were not able to do so due to the tight schedule that our tour was running. Even more unfortunate was our lack of ability to actually explain to her that we were not going to be able to go there. However, I would never forget this experience. I will use this to educate myself in FASD and how to communicate effectively with FASD patients.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Cold and Rain in Brantford...
What a gloomy day in Brantford! It was the type of cold that got into your bones and refuse to go away. It also does not help when quite a few people on the bus are tired and on the verge of getting sick. But for the profession's sake, we must persevere along...
We were also expecting similar cold treatment from some of Brantford’s newspapers, particularly the Brantford Expositor, as we heard that they had posted a one-sided, negative and inflammatory article about how we, as pharmacy students, were manipulated in this situation by the Coalition as part of an “increasingly nasty campaign to stop a ban on so-called professional allowances”. What slanderous and preposterous comments! (He must have not read my message from before to the media. Tsk tsk!) I give total credit to my classmate who handled them like a pro... But alas, here is my rant of the day...
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2576307
Just to put it clear:
1) I, as a pharmacy student, know nothing about politics and I don’t want to do anything about politics. I’m here with the purest of intentions and the understanding that anything that I do will not change the government’s mind, regardless of what party it is. I’m here for my own conscience and passion.
2) We are NOT pawns – we are pharmacy students with actual brains who willingly decided to partake in the tour. (Try getting through our Med Chem course without brains.)
3) This is not a “nasty campaign”. It is purely spreading awareness and letting people know how great the pharmacy profession and the services that it provides for all Ontarians. Healthcare is a right, and we advocate for maximizing Ontarians' rights to have access to best possible patient care services. Is it nasty to want to advocate for a healthier population? Is it nasty to act for the good of the public?
4) We are here for ourselves because we love the profession and are worried for the future of the profession, as well as the quality of the healthcare system. It's not even about the jobs that we lost anymore. It's about the viability of the profession and healthcare system. That’s it. Seriously.
This is the second time that I’ve put this – I really do hate repeating myself (unless if it is for a patient who has forgotten it or needs to be reminded, then I’d gladly repeating a hundred and thousand times for the patient).
Before I close off this entry, I only want to remind people that I personally as a pharmacy student don’t treat this as a political campaign, as some of the presses or MPPs may have said. We are EDUCATING people about what could happen should these cuts be implemented (and will be done so on the 15th of May – this coming Saturday), the importance of pharmacy services and what pharmacists do. This is not propaganda that I’m speaking of. This is telling people about what my pharmacist mentors and I do in our respective practices. It’s not just about pouring pills from a big bottle into a smaller bottle. It’s about giving the patients the means, particularly non-drug advice and patient education, to live longer and more healthily with greater quality of life.
The public will forever be required to be reminded about what pharmacists do. I’ll be more than glad to be that reminding voice.
We were also expecting similar cold treatment from some of Brantford’s newspapers, particularly the Brantford Expositor, as we heard that they had posted a one-sided, negative and inflammatory article about how we, as pharmacy students, were manipulated in this situation by the Coalition as part of an “increasingly nasty campaign to stop a ban on so-called professional allowances”. What slanderous and preposterous comments! (He must have not read my message from before to the media. Tsk tsk!) I give total credit to my classmate who handled them like a pro... But alas, here is my rant of the day...
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2576307
Just to put it clear:
1) I, as a pharmacy student, know nothing about politics and I don’t want to do anything about politics. I’m here with the purest of intentions and the understanding that anything that I do will not change the government’s mind, regardless of what party it is. I’m here for my own conscience and passion.
2) We are NOT pawns – we are pharmacy students with actual brains who willingly decided to partake in the tour. (Try getting through our Med Chem course without brains.)
3) This is not a “nasty campaign”. It is purely spreading awareness and letting people know how great the pharmacy profession and the services that it provides for all Ontarians. Healthcare is a right, and we advocate for maximizing Ontarians' rights to have access to best possible patient care services. Is it nasty to want to advocate for a healthier population? Is it nasty to act for the good of the public?
4) We are here for ourselves because we love the profession and are worried for the future of the profession, as well as the quality of the healthcare system. It's not even about the jobs that we lost anymore. It's about the viability of the profession and healthcare system. That’s it. Seriously.
This is the second time that I’ve put this – I really do hate repeating myself (unless if it is for a patient who has forgotten it or needs to be reminded, then I’d gladly repeating a hundred and thousand times for the patient).
Before I close off this entry, I only want to remind people that I personally as a pharmacy student don’t treat this as a political campaign, as some of the presses or MPPs may have said. We are EDUCATING people about what could happen should these cuts be implemented (and will be done so on the 15th of May – this coming Saturday), the importance of pharmacy services and what pharmacists do. This is not propaganda that I’m speaking of. This is telling people about what my pharmacist mentors and I do in our respective practices. It’s not just about pouring pills from a big bottle into a smaller bottle. It’s about giving the patients the means, particularly non-drug advice and patient education, to live longer and more healthily with greater quality of life.
The public will forever be required to be reminded about what pharmacists do. I’ll be more than glad to be that reminding voice.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Nerves of Steel? Not quite...
Today I made a special trip to Hamilton to do a TV interview for the show “For the Record” that would be aired on Cable 14 on Cogeco or Shaw cable providers. At first, I didn’t think much of the interview and was not nervous or worried about it – I thought that I understood the messages enough to be sufficiently eloquent on TV. I realized that I didn’t have a chance when I was prepped by a very experienced media relations woman, whom I would name C. She taught me very much about getting the messages out as short, succinct sentences; after all, I would probably get cut off after 1-2 sentences due to time restrictions. The entire 30 minute preparatory conversation was probably the equivalent of a dummy’s crash course in how to do a TV interview. Frankly, after that conversation, I was quite shaken up and realized how wrong everything could go.
Although I was late in leaving the house, the traffic was very good to me and I somehow got to Hamilton in around 50 minutes (and to think that I required 90 minutes!). After getting lost briefly (damn you, G-maps!), I made it to the TV station on time. I met up with M (one of the pharmacists whom I’ve met in Hamilton), who is very outspoken and very knowledgeable in pharmacy practice in Canada and practice models in other countries. In addition to C’s tremendous efforts in helping me prep for the interview, find the station and the talks to calm my nerves, my conversation with M also relieved some anxiety. (Seriously, with the capabilities of M and C, who needs anxiolytics?) Thus, when I went on TV, I was able to channel what I learned from C and broadcasted my messages as eloquently as I could.
Such messages included the following:
- the tour’s objectives in educating the public about the detrimental impacts on healthcare and pharmacists’ ability to provide patient care should these cuts follow through
- telling the public that such cuts, when implemented by the government, can only be reversed with the support of the public
- the government’s reckless healthcare funding cuts will greatly affect patients and pharmacists by decreasing pharmacists’ ability to provide best possible patient care and decreasing the quality of the healthcare system
- the decreased staffing, which the pharmacists are forced to do in light of these funding cuts, would lead to heartbreaking decisions to let go of students and their abilities to provide mentorship that is essential to providing students the practical experience needed to become ideal future pharmacists
The interview was a success and it was an incredible experience with media. While it was much harder than I thought to be interviewed on live TV (with minimal editing, if any), this experience taught me very much about how to present myself to the public. I owed the help of C and M (C especially, as I had bugged her incessantly with call after call) to calm my nerves, provide help when I required it the most and teach me how to respond to media and their potentially difficult questions while sending short succinct messages to the public at the same time. I cannot thank you both enough for everything today, and I hope to work with at least one of you in the future. (I also promise not to have nerves as shot as those of today.)
Although I was late in leaving the house, the traffic was very good to me and I somehow got to Hamilton in around 50 minutes (and to think that I required 90 minutes!). After getting lost briefly (damn you, G-maps!), I made it to the TV station on time. I met up with M (one of the pharmacists whom I’ve met in Hamilton), who is very outspoken and very knowledgeable in pharmacy practice in Canada and practice models in other countries. In addition to C’s tremendous efforts in helping me prep for the interview, find the station and the talks to calm my nerves, my conversation with M also relieved some anxiety. (Seriously, with the capabilities of M and C, who needs anxiolytics?) Thus, when I went on TV, I was able to channel what I learned from C and broadcasted my messages as eloquently as I could.
Such messages included the following:
- the tour’s objectives in educating the public about the detrimental impacts on healthcare and pharmacists’ ability to provide patient care should these cuts follow through
- telling the public that such cuts, when implemented by the government, can only be reversed with the support of the public
- the government’s reckless healthcare funding cuts will greatly affect patients and pharmacists by decreasing pharmacists’ ability to provide best possible patient care and decreasing the quality of the healthcare system
- the decreased staffing, which the pharmacists are forced to do in light of these funding cuts, would lead to heartbreaking decisions to let go of students and their abilities to provide mentorship that is essential to providing students the practical experience needed to become ideal future pharmacists
The interview was a success and it was an incredible experience with media. While it was much harder than I thought to be interviewed on live TV (with minimal editing, if any), this experience taught me very much about how to present myself to the public. I owed the help of C and M (C especially, as I had bugged her incessantly with call after call) to calm my nerves, provide help when I required it the most and teach me how to respond to media and their potentially difficult questions while sending short succinct messages to the public at the same time. I cannot thank you both enough for everything today, and I hope to work with at least one of you in the future. (I also promise not to have nerves as shot as those of today.)
Niagara Falls!
Niagara Falls yesterday! We had initially planned to do some commercial canvassing and rallying at the Clifton Hills area; however, we had got news that the entire area was quite quiet and that rallying there would not be productive at all. Thus, before getting some lunch and rallying at the MPP's office, we were able to enjoy ourselves very briefly by enjoying one of the natural wonders of the world and bonding with each other as the Stop Cuts Student Tour group. How nice of them to plan that for us!
Afterwards, we drove over to the MPP’s office to rally. We received some unexpected news that the MPP there expressed his support for the pharmacy profession and for re-entering negotiations for a better solution to decrease healthcare costs and drug prices. He acknowledges the importance of pharmacists, the vast number of services that they provide and the funding that is allocated to make such healthcare services possible. This really caught us by surprise, as we had not encountered any Liberal MPP who was actually in support of our message against funding cuts to pharmacy services.
What do I feel about his words of support? Mixed feelings. I’m quite pleasantly surprised that he has taken the time to talk to the pharmacists in his local community and understand the role of the pharmacy profession in our health care system. I appreciate how he listens to hundreds of his constituents about their disagreement in the McGuinty government’s decisions. However, I have my reservations about his words. Politicians can play political games after all. I hope Craiter can prove me wrong about my reservations for politicians.
We had again canvassed in his area with a new message – to support their MPP in his effort to drive the McGuinty government back to the drawing board for a better solution to lower healthcare costs. Although we only canvassed for a short while (due to the rain), we managed to reach out to some people and got a few signatures, even if it was not nearly as many as that received in Peterborough or Trenton. However, the primary thing, as with each day of the student tour, is to spread public awareness of the consequences in deteriorating healthcare should these funding cuts be implemented. The pharmacy profession cannot do this alone; it can only be done with the support of Ontario and public support can only be done with public education and awareness.
The following day, I will not be joining the rest of the tour group. I have agreed to travel alone to Hamilton and meet up with one of the inspiring pharmacists (whom I will name M), who had visited us when we arrived in Hamilton (a few days ago). It would be for a TV interview as one of the segments broadcasted on a public affairs show called “For the Record”. Stay tuned for the next entry!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Trenton: More than just an army base
Trenton was our stop today at Day 9 of the Stop Cuts Student Tour. Most of us were grateful for the brief break from Mother’s Day (and I personally was very glad to have the opportunity to spend long-awaited time with my own family) on the Sunday before. Most of us have also discovered that we have lost our voices considerably as well – I personally am suffering from a rather sore throat and sounding a bit like a man. Sigh.
Thank goodness our public relations representative was extremely enthusiastic and helped us out with the rallying on the streets. We first protested in front of our bus in front of the Trentonian newspaper building, where we met up with the reporter with his camera. After an interview with our fourth-year pharmacy student (who is quite charismatic, may I add), we had rallied on the way to the bridge along Dundas Street – the main street in Trenton in what I believe to be the downtown area. The reporter had also followed us during the rally and took pictures. At one point, he was also taking pictures into another store while we were walking down the street with the signs; frankly, I’m not too sure what he was doing.
While we were rallying at the corner of Dundas and Front, Zenah had wanted to take a picture of us rallying at the other side of the street. Coincidentally, there was a radio reporter who was on that same side who took note of the rally, and had wanted Zenah to do a radio interview on the spot. It was quite awesome actually, having attracted even more media attention than what we expected!
Again, we had canvassed around the residential area of Trenton. One of my friends and I were pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few people who were extremely supportive of our efforts to stop these funding cuts on pharmacy and were more than willing to sign the petitions. Moreover, there were quite a few people walking around (presumably because it was quite nice and sunny today) and we were able to reach more people.
A few of our pharmacy students had encountered a former MPP, who was a good friend of Deb Matthews, the Minister of Health. One of them had given us a brief summary about the conversation that had gone on in the few minutes that they were talking, including the reminder to keep in mind of the things that the big players say during this whole ‘war’ between the pharmacy profession and the government.
That truly opens a whole can of worms about the associations that are involved and the government during this period of instability. One’s words are typically manipulated to demonize the opposing party and promoting one’s own party. That’s just how the game is played and how humans typically support themselves. While the government seems to do so to support themselves, one also needs to remember that the associations that we support may do the same in the name of politics. As pharmacy students, we will support the profession; however, we, as all individuals of the public should, must be aware of the possible lies that could be fed by the associations representing the profession. Wars, including that between pharmacy and the government, are never black and white. The roles of the “good” and “bad” guys are never clear. I am in no way stating that the associations that support the pharmacy profession are bad, or that the government is evil by making such decisions against us. I merely want to state that we must be careful not to be brainwashed by either party and take things with a grain of salt. Be aware of the issues yourself, digest the information, make the logical conclusions yourself and think/act for yourself according to what our own conscience and values allow.
Why do I blog? I blog because I see issues in the pharmacy profession that need to be addressed. I put my own opinions onto it and separate them from that of the pharmacy-representing associations and the government. On top of that, I strongly encourage others to read my blog, be provoked in learning more about these issues and forming your own opinions about them. Don’t be sheep – stay educated and aware!
Thank goodness our public relations representative was extremely enthusiastic and helped us out with the rallying on the streets. We first protested in front of our bus in front of the Trentonian newspaper building, where we met up with the reporter with his camera. After an interview with our fourth-year pharmacy student (who is quite charismatic, may I add), we had rallied on the way to the bridge along Dundas Street – the main street in Trenton in what I believe to be the downtown area. The reporter had also followed us during the rally and took pictures. At one point, he was also taking pictures into another store while we were walking down the street with the signs; frankly, I’m not too sure what he was doing.
While we were rallying at the corner of Dundas and Front, Zenah had wanted to take a picture of us rallying at the other side of the street. Coincidentally, there was a radio reporter who was on that same side who took note of the rally, and had wanted Zenah to do a radio interview on the spot. It was quite awesome actually, having attracted even more media attention than what we expected!
Again, we had canvassed around the residential area of Trenton. One of my friends and I were pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few people who were extremely supportive of our efforts to stop these funding cuts on pharmacy and were more than willing to sign the petitions. Moreover, there were quite a few people walking around (presumably because it was quite nice and sunny today) and we were able to reach more people.
A few of our pharmacy students had encountered a former MPP, who was a good friend of Deb Matthews, the Minister of Health. One of them had given us a brief summary about the conversation that had gone on in the few minutes that they were talking, including the reminder to keep in mind of the things that the big players say during this whole ‘war’ between the pharmacy profession and the government.
That truly opens a whole can of worms about the associations that are involved and the government during this period of instability. One’s words are typically manipulated to demonize the opposing party and promoting one’s own party. That’s just how the game is played and how humans typically support themselves. While the government seems to do so to support themselves, one also needs to remember that the associations that we support may do the same in the name of politics. As pharmacy students, we will support the profession; however, we, as all individuals of the public should, must be aware of the possible lies that could be fed by the associations representing the profession. Wars, including that between pharmacy and the government, are never black and white. The roles of the “good” and “bad” guys are never clear. I am in no way stating that the associations that support the pharmacy profession are bad, or that the government is evil by making such decisions against us. I merely want to state that we must be careful not to be brainwashed by either party and take things with a grain of salt. Be aware of the issues yourself, digest the information, make the logical conclusions yourself and think/act for yourself according to what our own conscience and values allow.
Why do I blog? I blog because I see issues in the pharmacy profession that need to be addressed. I put my own opinions onto it and separate them from that of the pharmacy-representing associations and the government. On top of that, I strongly encourage others to read my blog, be provoked in learning more about these issues and forming your own opinions about them. Don’t be sheep – stay educated and aware!
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