Help with essay question

[goheel]

I have to write an essay on the topic below. Does anyone have suggestion what should my answer be about? Thanks in advance

"A patient in Brazil contracts a deadly virus. She might be saved by an expensive medication invented by a US pharmaceutical company. However, the patient cannot afford the medication or get credit to purchase it. Despite the pharmacist and the prescribing physician writing to the company requesting special consideration for this patient, the company has refused to provide the medication at a lower cost. Because the pharmacist could obtain access to the medication in her pharmacy, should she "take" the medication and give it to this patient in hopes of saving her life? Describe your thoughts on this topic and provide a definitive answer about how you would respond if you were the pharmacist."

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[s13]

i would say that since the pharmacist is so interested in this patient and has even taken the initiative to write a letter to the company requesting for a lower price; instead of "stealing" the medication for the patient, she should provide the necessary funds to the patient so they will be able to purchase the medication.

this might be deviating from the question asked but there's my two cents...

 

[twester]

There's no right or wrong answer to the scenario. It looks like you are being asked to analyze the situation. Your essay could systematically weigh the pros, cons and possible outcomes to various approaches - settling on one answer as YOUR best approach.

One approach to this kind of assignment is to sit down and free-write. Imagine that you are the pharmacist. Write down anything that comes to mind - from "I've got to do my laundry" to "I'm so angry at this pharmaceutical company". Do it for a half-hour. Then go through what you've written and see if you can piece together a coherent essay.

It's an ethical dilemma and someone wants to know how you deal with those.

Good luck,
Troy

I have to write an essay on the topic below. Does anyone have suggestion what should my answer be about? Thanks in advance

 

[DScheveningen]

She should take it, and give it to the patient. Then, she should take some more, and sell it on the black market for a high price. That's it, make some of that bling bling.

lol, well, i think she shouldn't, i'm sure there are other ways to deal with this situation. Have a fundraising event, she could pay for it herself and help the patient, or work something out at with the pharmacy or hospital she's working at. It's pretty open ended, but the answer is definately no to stealing. Not that i wouldn't steal, if my good friend is dying from a virus, i'll steal it in a heartbeat, but i doubt that's what the admissions wanna hear. good luck

 

[imperial frog]

I got nothing for ya except that the question bites. One thought though...why didn't the pharmacist approach the company that she works for and ask them to donate it? I assume she doesn't work for the pharmaceutical company because people generally don't get their prescriptions filled there.

 

[young skywalker]

Could they maybe take a loan to pay for the medicine at first, thereby buying some time in which to write letters to other organizations asking for donations, or maybe have a few fundraisers.

 

[eddie269]

I'm sure the medication doesn't cost THAT much. I am sure fundraising is the key.

Have a small jar set up at the pharmacy and hope for small donations. Perhaps hold one weekend outside the pharmacy parking lot and have a huge fundraising event or call up local radio stations letting locals know to stop by and donate a few dollars. Hell, even ask the pharmacy company (i.e. Rite Aid or Walgreens) to donate some "prizes" and hold a raffle.

Unless this "magic bullet" drug costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, I am sure a weekend or two of good fundraising should do the job.

Stealing is never OK in pharmacy. It's the ethical part of the job.

At least that's what I would put.