A new pharmacy opening? Surely a good thing? Well in my experience a gift horse should ALWAYS be looked in the mouth. A few residents of Balivanich, wanting only repeat prescriptions or non-prescription goods (which generally are at the supermarkets anyway) will be saved a traipse to Griminish.
For others, they have to go to the doctor's surgery first anyway to get a prescription, and would then have to go to Balivanich to get the medication - and then go home again. For those 'others' who live further afield, eg in Eriskay, w\'d first have to go to the doctor in Daliburgh, and then on to Balivanich to get the medicine: really? Bad enough if you have a car or access to one, but for those reliant on public transport this would take all day - in fact I'm not even sure it could be done in one day! Any commercial pharmacy in Balivanich should succeed or fail on its own merits, and not be given a monopoly by closing the medical centre pharmacies. I think we'd soon find out that the proposed pharmacy has no real business case to stand on.
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