Life-saver who worries how long she can carry on
TO ALPA GHELANI, a 46-year-old pharmacist in Stretford, Greater Manchester, her work isn’t simply a job, ‘it’s a vocation’.
Alpa recalls her graduation day in July 1998 as being ‘one of the proudest days of [her] life’, but says that at least 11 of her 100 fellow graduates have left for more financially rewarding careers in finance and business.
‘I suspect that’s the tip of the iceberg,’ she says. ‘I’m struggling to survive running an independent pharmacy with rising case loads and the spiralling costs of drugs.’
Alpa opened Alphabet Pharmacy in 2016. ‘Covid changed the role of pharmacists — we saw an increase in patients contacting us because they couldn’t see their GPs, and I receive 30 more phone calls a day,’ she says.
‘I start work at 8.30am and I’m in my pharmacy until 5pm. Then I deliver prescriptions until 8.30pm, so I can meet my customers and assess how they are.’ This can be life-saving.
‘Recently the wife of one patient told me she was breathless, with swollen ankles. I recognised the symptoms of heart disease and told her to see a GP. She was referred to a cardiac unit with heart failure the next day.’
Just last month, Alpa was delivering painkillers to a patient in her 80s. ‘She’d been prescribed tramadol [an opioid], which concerned me, and when we chatted she said she’d asked for Panadol for mild pain — the GP had misheard her over the phone.
‘For this elderly lady the side-effects of tramadol — drowsiness and hallucinations — could have had serious consequences.’
Customer Suzanne Wood, 46, says Alpa has been her lifeline. The mother of three has type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fibromyalgia and arthritis in her hips.
She says: ‘As my husband works shifts, I get lonely. Sometimes Alpa is the only other adult I speak to for two days. For the sake of my mental health, having a friendly chat makes a difference. There’s no way I’d get this from a large High Street chain.
‘Alpa gave me her mobile number and said I can text at any time, day or night. She’s helped me avoid having to go to the GP or even A&E, which also eases the pressure on the NHS.
‘It makes the lack of funding for small independent pharmacists seem even more ridiculous. They save the NHS so much money.’
Alpa says there’s never been a greater need for community pharmacists, yet most are ‘buckling under the strain’. ‘On my Facebook group for local pharmacists, someone asked “Why are we still in this job?” I fear I will start asking myself this.’