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Pharmacies Dispense Myriad Drugs
Ever since the days of Untac, foreigners and Cambodians have been
buying their medications at the railway station — or to be more
exact at Pharmacie de la Gare, on Monivong Boulevard.
Koy Paradis, pharmacist and director of the busy drug store,
obtained his diploma in pharmacology at the University of Phnom Penh
and set up shop in 1992.
Koy Paradis estimates there are 600 types of pharmaceuticals on his
shelves and some 800 health-and-beauty items. Pharmaceuticals are
imported from France and Singapore or bought from local medical
supply companies.
Another popular spot is the Pharma Sangvath Pich at 162 Sihanouk
Boulevard, just a hop away from Lucky’s Supermarket. The
pharmacist, Nil Pha, has 10 years of practice under his belt and
estimates he stocks about 300 different medications.
Nil Pha’s stock comes from Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea,
Indonesia and the US. He also offers generic medications from Korea
at a considerable saving, he says.
The turnover of stock at the busiest pharmacies is a fairly good guide to the
level of freshness of the products, although it always pays to check
the expiry date and storage.
Another guide is the appearance of the rabbit, superimposed on the
familiar green cross, at some pharmacies. Unicef’s Andrew Morris
says his agency is pleased with the success of a new program that
aims to train pharmacists to better assist their customers.
“The reality is that much of the primary care is given by
pharmacists in this country,” he explained, “so we set up a
program to help pharmacists to advise on childhood infections. The
300 pharmacists who signed up for this workshop and are now entitled
to display the rabbit have demonstrated their interest in giving
good service, says Morris.
—Elizabeth Wright
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