Working at Jolly's Pharmacy

After a beautiful and relaxing weekend in Dominica, we got down to business at Jolly's Pharmacy in Roseau. The senior pharmacist there, Carlton Lanquedoc RPh, took us on a tour of both Jolly's locations and the manufacturing center that are all within walking distance of each other. It was interesting to see how similar the pharmacies were to Walgreens and CVS. Both locations used an electronic system to enter prescriptions and together they filled about 500-700 prescriptions a day. Some differences that we noticed with Jolly's was that everyone waited in the pharmacy for their prescription to be filled, there was no wall of prescription bags waiting to be picked up. Also, we saw that most prescriptions were handwritten, sometimes written on notebook paper or in the patient's medical book (which is literally a composition notebook containing the patient's medical history). 

Carlton Lanquedoc giving us a tour of Jolly's Manufacturing Center

Products manufactured at Jolly's

A view of both locations of Jolly's Pharmacy

We all perused the over the counter (OTC) section of Jolly's to check out what locals typically use. A lot of the products were the same as what you would find in the US, just made by a different company. Some medications that are controlled in the US (pseudoephedrine) or only available as a prescription (Voltaren cream) was available as OTC products at Jolly's. The prices of medications were very different from what you would expect it; seemed like some overpriced medications were cheaper at Jolly's because they purchase from non-US manufacturers mostly. They also shop around to find the best prices on each medication. However, it seemed like generic medications that are on the $4 list in America were more expensive in Dominica due to importing the medication or for other reasons.

OTC aisle at Jolly's Pharmacy

As a part of the Jolly's Pharmacy team we held two health screening fairs where we checked BMI, body fat percent, blood glucose, and blood pressure for free. We could also check an A1c or cholesterol for a fee. The people we saw here were very open with us about their health problems and almost everyone seemed very interested in the information we provided them. Sometimes when we have done screenings though U of Iowa, people want to know what their results are, but then are not very receptive to the information we provide and do not always ask questions.

Jolly's health fair at Campbell's Business System and Services 

Another part of the experience with Jolly's was participating in the Health Vibes show on Wednesday morning, which is a weekly radio show that is popular in Dominica and other Caribbean islands. We went on the show with Carlton and Pearl to talk about oral contraceptives. Important things that Carlton wanted us to cover was other uses of oral contraceptives besides preventing pregnancy, the fact that they do not protect against STI's, and that emergency contraceptives are not for regular use. The following day we provided a continuing education lecture to Jolly's pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on the same topic, but we included information on other types of contraception methods. I think the Jolly's employees really benefited from the session because physicians in Dominica are not as familiar with contraceptives and ask the pharmacists lots of questions. Additionally, women in Dominica do not have to have a prescription in order to obtain oral contraceptives, so the pharmacists need to be able to get a relevant history on the patient and make a recommendation.

Health Vibes on oral contraceptives

Continuing education on contraceptive methods

Working at Jolly's taught us a lot about what pharmacy practice is like in a location where access to medications and medical supplies is somewhat limited. We also learned to be more creative with our suggestions to patients because they may not be able to obtain or afford the supplies and medicines they need. Even our suggestions on lifestyle changes were adjusted to fit the culture in Dominica.

-Macey and Shavea