Pharmacy savings

I tried here in Playa to get a repeat of some pills my Doctor in Australia has prescribed for me, but they told me that I needed a prescription. I think this is quite a new thing as you used to be able to get almost anything over the counter without a script. There were probably too many people self-medicating.

The pharmacist said don't worry there is a doctor next door, no actually there she is waiting outside the surgery. The doctor turned around and asked if I needed a script, then motioned me to her lovely air-conditioned room. She asked why my doctor had prescribed these pills, and some general questions, then wrote out the note. For that, she charged me 35 pesos (less than $3). When I checked the script later, this doctor is a surgeon, trained in Guadalajara, and she gets paid only $3 for a consult (and no co-payment from the government). Mexico doesn't seem to be the place to be if you have a medical degree.

I was then able to buy the pills for 45 pesos (less than $4) for a pack of 40. In Australia I had paid about $20 for a pack of 30. They gave me back the script so that next time I need them I just show it again.

It's great that it's so easy to see a doctor when you need to, no appointments, rarely do you need to wait, no hassles. It also turns out that literally across the road from casa mia, there is a medical centre with a skin specialist and a gynecologist. So I can have my regular pap smears done, and skin cancers treated here too.  It just keeps getting better.