Medication costs in Spain - Page 2

I have never had this happen to me, first time ever in the Oria pharmacy, as I said normally the staff  - remembered her name LOLA - still cannot remember the mans name are FANTASTIC, but to take advantage during COVID is not on.   The BIGGEST problem for us is our Spanish bank closed down during the lockdown, we drove to Vera and learned my new debit card had been blocked for security reasons, we could not get anyone to answer the phone at the bank, intended to be in Oria for 3 weeks only and did not bring any other cards with us, due to car issues we got locked down, In the end we had to get a friend to post our medication to us to avoid the Euro 120 a month.     

I have spoken with the lady in the chemist and she is trying to learn English to help the people who do not speak Spanish.  Please try to understand the people who live in smaller villages are trying to help not to be difficult.  There are many reasons to give and take.  I find it upsetting for Spanish people who try to help get run down.  I hope there are more English who are more open minded.

I agree Ednab, Apart from the very rude unprofessional doctor during lockdown, everyone in the village is helpful and friendly, and we have a good laugh over my appalling Spanish.

Debra it seems your visit here this time, really was ,'a comedy of errors' , chemist, car issues, bank cards, lockdown. all sounds very stressful for you. and its a shame you feel the need to sell up. but I wish you well and I hope you get it all sorted out. 

Kind regards  Jenni

I'm sure you're right Ednab, in the case of the girl in the chemist.  The young people do want to practice speaking the English that they have studied.  My slightly ironical gripe was with a different type of person who has had very little to do with foreigners, as in the case of the older rural population in hamlets and villages, where the people have never travelled outside of their area and are not used to (or are wary of)  foreign faces and customs. 

Hi everyone thank you ALL so very much for your input, I have to say this is the first time we have EVER encountered any problems in Oria, we have been made to feel very welcome by ALL the locals, but this prescription issue has left rather a nasty taste, especially as I said we arrived with little cash and our bank card was blocked, plus did not bring our UK debit card thinking we would not need it for 3 weeks, we had to contact a friend and get him to send us cash in the post - yes we took a huge risk, thus why I was so so upset about that lady charging us so much, as mentioned my GP here in England speaks and writes Spanish,, thus he wrote the letter to go with the prescription and explained we are pensioners, he told me to attach the E111 cards and our NIE, when we heard how much we had to pay each month till we could come home I asked if I could return the medication because we did not have the money, thus panic panic, we had to get someone to use their credit card to pay for it till the cash from our friend arrived in the post.   One rotten apple!

Debra, unless you are registered for Spanish health care and in possession of a ‘Tarjeta Sanitaria’, you are not entitled to discounts on medication here, even with an EHIC card, and a letter from your British doctor, your prescription will be classed as ‘private’ , but you can then, as you now know, reclaim your costs back from the NHS.

I believe the Oria pharmacy acted quite correctly, and therefore your negative comments are unnecessary, and the only reason you didn’t get an itemised bill is simply because, you didn’t ask for one!

Puff 

Here here, spot on.

According to NHS we are entitled to medication DURING UNEXPECTED OCCASIONS, I bought this to a conclusion yesterday

Not "UNEXPECTED OCCASIONS" Debra, but emergencies only, your situation, unfortunate as it may have been, was NOT an emergency!

As I said, 'Oria pharmacy acted quite correctly', and therefore before you bring this to a "conclusion", do you not think that you should retract,the disrespectful things you said & implied about them?

Puff

As Debra has not responded to my request for her to retract her comments about the Oria pharmacy, I must say that I think everything she said on this topic is a pack of lies!

Why do I have that opinion? Mainly because she claimed, in a post on the 6th August, that the situation she describes actually happened to some else.

Why she now claims it happened to her, I know not, but I also feel that she embellished the story somewhat.

The reason I am posting this is purely in support of the Oria pharmacy, who, in my mind acted quite correctly and being such lovely people, do not deserve such negative comments.