Chemists,the Health service & its affect on my sex life.
May I take this opportunity to thank all the elderly & sick expats from all countries for coming to the Costa´s and crippling the health service.
The fantastic new hospital in Torrevieja has about 50% non Spanish occupancy rates (all on Spanish NHS not private), every time I have visited a chemist here I am in a long queue of people,almost none of whom are Spanish with a stack of prescriptions. Because of this imbalance in income to expenditure we now find a situation where local government cannot afford to fund either the health service fully or even pay the chemists for the drugs that they have dispensed. This is strangely not a problem throughout all of Spain but only in areas of high expatriate population (Costa Brava, Blanca & Del Sol mainly), there are far fewer problems inland or away from the Costas. It is my understanding that each government makes a payment to the Spanish government for each known resident expat, but if the figure that was quoted on this forum recently is correct(of a little over a thousand€ per person9 then it is easy to see why the system is at breaking point, as this figure would not even cover a single doctors visit & subsequent hospital referral, let alone the daily or thrice weekly visits to hospital required by so many. I also found laughable a recent post that mentioned that "they are paid handsomely"(the government) for our presence here, (if that is not the exact phrase I apologise but it is close enough).
I suppose if the system collapses & becomes unusable to the expats (a real possibility if Spain leaves the EU) then the old moaners will go home and then at least the bars will be able to have music again.
I understand and support the stand that the Pharmacists are making, as no private business could withstand an extended period of some months with no income against expenditure that probably by now runs into millions of euros per pharmacy.
However to the reason that prompted this post, it seems now that I will have to go and queue for two hours behind hundreds of prescription wielding pensionistas, to pay full retail price for some birth control or I will not have a sex life!
Alan, well said, I hope that the post was a joke???. the chemist at the Airport is open
What about all the older people, me included, who are pensioners but never go to the docs?
They still receive the 3500euros even though I never have had to see the doc once!
Hello
What about all the Europeans constantly poncing off the NHS and going home and not paying a penny
Only been going on for over 40 years.
Then how about all the Europeans poncing for our benefit system.
Thank you please come again !!!
I'm not a pensioner but I pay for everything - happy to do so! Not all of the non-pensioners looking for a
freebie
I had to go to the chemist and queue for nearly 40 mins.( not for a prescription ).
I could not believe what was going on.
there was around 15/20 british in there.
the majority of them with a disgusting attitude towards each other but even worse towards the staff in the chemist.
The chemists do not deserve the abuse that was being passed around.
I fully agree and support the chemists, If thet dont take action, they will continue not getting payed and eventually will go out of business.
( what will you all do then ). to think that so called grown up adults were arguing about who is in front of who, and how long they have to wait because of the back log. in some cases the language was choice to say the least.
I note that someone said that the airport chemist was open, well in that case if medication is so desperate and life saving as was being made out by some people why did they not go to the airport for it. if i needed life saving medication im sure i would have found someway of getting there for it.
(oh yes and some of these so called very ill people I SAW THEM IN THE BAR ONLY THE NIGHT BEFORE.) i guess that was for medissonal purpose as well.
It is also probably the same people that are calling the youth for causing a disturbance and for there behaviour. Talk about kettle calling pot black.
STOP WINGING AND CAUSING PROBLEMS, it is a minority of winging people on this urb that are causing life for everyone else to be miserable.
if people had not moaned, we would still have had the entertainment we all enjoy.
dont moan about the kids, GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO DO INSTEAD. after all they are our future, LEAVE THE CHEMISTS ALONE AND SUPPORT THEM*****.
etc, etc,etc.
if things carry on the way they are going, La Marina will die, people wont come and live here, holiday makers wont arrive, house prices will fall even more than now.
I could go on and on.
FOR GODS SAKE, THE BRITISH WERE ONCE KNOWN FOR HAVING A STIFF UPPER LIP, AND BEING ABLE TO RISE ABOVE ADVERSITY. LIFE IN THE WORLD IS HARD ENOUGH AT THE MOMENT.
stop arguing, and everyone pull together. talk dont shout, work things out, dont be selfish.
The Bars are only trying to provide a service and entertain everyone.
The kids of which the majority are well behaved are bored and need something to do.
AND THE CHEMISTS NEED ALL OUR SUPPORT. OR NO ONE WILL GET ANY MEDICATION WHEN THEY GO BUST.
I understand the Pharmacies' situation regarding not getting paid, but cannot understand how the present strike actually does anything about it. Instead of going to a number of chemists for their prescriptions, people are queuing up at a few or maybe even one. That says to me that the total amount of prescriptions being dispensed is the same, so where is the benefit to the chemists.
If anything, they might even be losing out as they sell other medicinal and health items but nobody is going to queue up for ages to buy any of those so that trade is lost.
Regarding the comment about us Brits having a stiff upper lip, well, if some of us don't get our medication we'll certainly have one of those as well as everything else be stiff!!!!!
Just been to the chemist at Satellite roundabout, and queued no hardship, we brits are used to queing, everyone was in good form, and then when you actually get seen to even the staff are their happy selves, they all have a smile on their faces for each person that goes up to them, I wish them all the luck in getting their money from Valencia. Please sign the petitions that are on the counters dont know if it will make a difference but we can only try. WELL DONE TO ALL WHO WORK IN THE CHEMISTS:
Well what can i say, just this you want to live here in the UK nearly every patient in hospital is a foreigner, getting free treatment on our NHS,there are more imigrants here than true white British people but our chemists arent on strike,they welcome every nationality
gonefishing007
Because a person doesnt speak perfect English or isnt of white skin doesnt make him a Foreigner,Millions of people on U.K. were born and have children who were born in the U.K. the colour of skin is genetic,not sign of race or creed.
As for the Chemists,yes in the U.K. chemist dispense prescriptions without going on strike.Given a choice so would the Farmacias in the valencia region ,If like the U.K. Chemists,they got the money back for what they have paid out to give you your free or cheap prescription,If you are going to put the blame anywhere regarding the Farmacias striking,then blame the people who control the purse strings in Valencia,it is they who are paid to repay the Spanish Farmacias,and who are not doing so
A fWhat is up with the Valencian Govt, why dont they pay the chemists what they are owed. Valencia gets money for us Brits' healthcare, and some don't even go to the doctors, but it is paid for everyone.Please share and support your local Chemists in Spain.friend of my posted this on her FB.
Andy, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I am a pensioner and I pay for my medication. It never ceases to amaze me what a complaining bunch the Brits are. We returned to the UK after 20 years in Africa and were appalled at how people complain about the health system and benefits....we thought it was absolutely 1st class! I support the pharmacies in their fight with Valencia. After 20 years in a country that doesn't have national health if you are white and spending 6 hours a day every month sitting in a queue at the state hospital to get monthly medication, which by the way, you had to be there for at 5 in the morning or you would never get around to being seen, I for one appreciate everything the UK and Europe has to offer! To those who complain.......try it on the other side of the world! You don't know when you are well off!
1) %The majority of expat Pensionistas you mention have probably been living and paying their taxes in Spain for many many years. they have a right to the Medical facilities on offer. Older folks need more attention. please bear this in mind. Your day will come soon enough.
2) if Spain leaves the EU, she will have been kicked out. the many years of take take take and no give, give give, has caught up with the country.
For austerity read..... LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS, like most of the expat pensionistas you complain about, are doing.
Every ExPat that is registered with a doctor in Spain generates 3,500e per year to that medical practise. There are loads of people registered who have never been to the doctors in years. This money is claimed regardless from the NHS in UK. Without this and EU funds for this that and the other Spain would be in a very different situation financially.
pardon me for reacting, but as a pension who need medication for a serious Heart condtion which without, I would die.
I was under the impression that England reimbursed Spain for medicatons needed by their ex pat pensioners.
I would all of my life and paid into the national health service so feel no guilt whatsoever in using this service now I am taking money out and not putting it in.
I never moan about my lot not do I take anythng I am not entitled to.
Sorry I believe you feel sour grapes and ought to realize you too one day may be a pensioner, doing excactly the same as we are now.
Senora Alto
Nice one Zenoplast,agree with what you say.I had to stand in a queue for over an hour the other day in pouring rain,to pick up some tablets for my wife,the fact that they were for treatment post Cancer operation,I can understand your disgust at having to queue for hours for your condoms,and my sympathy is with you,But a word of advise why not go to the supermarket.The cost to Great Britain for medical treatment for ex pats is in fact around 3500 pounds sterling per pensioner.The amount each country in the European Community pays to each other for this benefit,is worked out by a European community commitee,on an average of what it costs per country.A difference is the money G.B. pays does go to the Valencian Government,it is they that use this money for other purposes,Leaving the farmacias,to practically beg borrow and steal,to keep their businesses afloat to serve us a all in the magnificient way they do.So really it is Valencian Community who are making you and I queue outside Farmacias,Me for life saving tablets and you for a bit of hanky panky.
I actually enjoyed your post as soon as i realised,it was written as fun,we all need to lighten up a bit.
Just to add a bit,Perhaps if somebody grabbed a couple of million Euro out of the billions of euros the G.B. pays into the kitty to stop euro countries going to the wall.because they have mismanaged their money in the past,They could give this the the farmacias,so that these people could pay their debts.(I hope you take this comment like I took yours...As a joke)