Mr Saw has a verruca. Well it could be a corn but it has a 'centre' although the centre is actually a pit. He had one in the same place in 2005 having taken a shower in some university lodgings whilst on a conference.
Mr Saw decided to use Bazuka on it and we had some in the house which one of our girls used once; it was out of date. He went to buy some more at a cost of £5.59. He also had a Newtons Chiropody Sponge from 2005. After a few weeks things have not really improved.
Mr Saw thought he would seek help. Appointments at the doctors as as difficult to get as poo from a wooden horse; yet a call to the surgery with the request to see the Nurse Quacktitioner (as Blog Doctor calls them) yielded a choice of 9.00 or 11.50 of which I took the latter.I arrived at 11.45 to be told that she was running late (as she had had to go out!). I could either wait for 15 minutes or rebook. Suggesting that I could run an errand and return was met with "If she comes back and you are not here you will lose your place" which I though rather harsh given that she was the one who was absent. Anyway the situation resolved itself and the bleep on the waiting room electronic notice board went and it was clear she was back in the building.
I was seen quickly, took of my sock and, after a 2 second look, the diagnosis was confirmed - my having explained that I had tried Bazuka to no avail. She said she would prescribe the strongest thing she could: Salatac Gel.
Mr Saw made haste for the Chemist.
A small voice in his head suggested that he should ask if the gel was available over the counter; the nice lady went to ask and found that it was, for the sum of £4.50 cash, a saving of £2.60 on the price of a prescription. Home drove Mr Saw.
Upon opening the box Mr Saw recognised the small packet containing an emery board. Upon reading the instruction leaflet the wording had a rather familiar ring to it. Straight away Mr S. compared the ingredients of Salatac and Bazuka which were:
Bazuka: Salicyclic Acid 12.0%, Lactic Acid 4.0%, Camphor, Pyroxylin, Ethanol and Ethyl Acetate
Salatac: Salicyclic Acid 12.0%, Lactic Acid 4.0%
It's the same bloody stuff, in fact Bazuka has more in it or at least the same active ingredients.
So Mr Saw is 'sore' in that he is annoyed.
Having been told that I had been using Bazuka, the Nurse Quacktitioner should have realised that the two treatment are identical, surely!
Also, even if she had prescribed Salatac she might have thought to say it is available over the counter for less, or at least that it would be worth asking. I asked because, when I was a student in 1979 and I need Aspirin in large quantities the doctor wrote out a prescription (then costing a mere 25p) saying to compare the price and use the prescription if I needed to.
I'll get over this, but how many old people feel they have to buy what they are prescribed and pay over the odds? Obviously the NHS needs to make a profit; after all I guess it make a loss on many drugs. Is this the way?
I was under the impression that writing prescriptions cost the practice a fee and that a record is kept of which doctors are prescribing which drugs.
Moral: always ask the price of what you are getting and see if it available cheaper than £7.10. Most people do not know about BP equivalents to medicines.
