In a message dated 26.11.98 00:41:37 BST, David Evans writes:
> The drugs most needed are often the least likely to come
> from drug rep samples - e.g. morphine
I was a ship's doc once and tried to replenish the totally out of date
morphine and pethidine. Big shambles! The captain wouldn't let me ask a local
doctor, but insisted on going through the shipping agents.
I ended up being summoned before the magistrate (this was Argentina) and the
ship couldn't leave the country till the case was sorted.
OK except we turned up to find you couldn't take your own translator, it had
to be an official one. Come back next week. Travel next week from new port
miles away up the coast to be told official translator hasn't turned up, try
next week again!
It doesn't only happen in the NHS!
So we forked out for a lawyer who knew the judge in the port we were then in
and he agreed to use our translator. Got the permission but it would have to
be sent back to the original port who would sign the papers!
By that time we really did have to leave, so off we went with no drugs.
The MDU said it was common to have terrible trouble getting controlled drugs
for ships.
I expect they still have the same out of date ampoules now!
Grace
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