Wednesday, May 21, 2008
What if I could do more than just stand behind a dispensing counter dispensing and dispensing medication for the rest of my life? what if i could go beyond the walls of working in a hospital? what if working in a pharmaceutical company could mean more than just making money and more money?
You know that feeling when something is bugging you and it won't go away? well as odd as it may seem, this is exactly what has been on my mind for the past couple of weeks.
A thought just randomly popped into my head one day...and it's probably a result of me always thinking more than i have to. Why is it that Australia and in particular..melbourne and sydney..have soooo many pharmacists that it is pretty much impossible to open up a new pharmacy because the states are so saturated, when there are third world countries out there that have completely NO access to medication what so ever? Why is it that medication in Australia is so acessible for the majority of the population when in other places...medication is non exisistant...not to mention pharmacies? Why is it that when we contract the flu or catch a minor infection it can be treated straight away when other ppl across the world are dying from diseases that could have easily been treated in the early stages?
Having been on short term mission trips before and having seen make shift medical clinincs being run it doesn't take long befre you realise that medication will not help the majority of these people because the diseases have progressed to such a stage that medication..espescially a weeks supply..or even a month's supply of medication ain't going to help one bit. Sure, it's a great tool to use to open the door for evangelism but what if we could do MORE? If there was an on going supply of drugs to these regions, the story for so many of the patients we see could be sooo different.
So what is my point? My point is, what if I could look at international public health from a pharmacists point of view? It all seems like such a great idea in words. Just supply a third world region with on going supply of medication and all your problems will be fixed. Unfortunately..it's not so simple. Firstly, the cost of medications is a lot more than you may think. Australia spends literally billions on medication every year but none of us ever realise it because medications we buy are mostly subsidised heaps by the governement. So where would you get the money from to supply other parts of the world? Secondly...you can't just supply one small village and not supply the surrounding areas and for that matter..the rest of the country. On top of that..there are governements to deal with, pharmaceutical companies to deal with and of course you need medical clinics and medical staff in those remote areas as well. It seems like there are so many hurdles you would have to face.
I could go on forever but for some reason...I'm beginning to realise that my studies and future profession and more importanly, my relationship with God..may just lead me somewhere in life i may not have expected. It's almost frustrating only being in first year though and it's frustrating that i'm sitting here typing out mere thoughts when really...right now...i want to be in africa, i want to be in china, i want to be in south america...i want to be in south east asia. I have a feeling though...with churches behind you, a degree in hand and with the work of the Holy Spirit who can make the impossible possible, what is my dream now may one day become reality
posted @ 5:11 AM
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Monday, May 12, 2008
no...sadly some things i hear just don't surprise me anymore. Maybe they would have a while ago and I would have found it completely unbelievable but not anymore. Sadly I'm hearing it far too often and sadly it's becoming an all too common occurrence. People aren't supposed to be treated like that. that's not how it should be but let's face it, that's how it is.
on a brighter note...
the pharm cruise this wednesday!! yayyy =) hehehee i'm so excited. linda and i went shopping for our *cough* 'costumes' today after uni hehehee. soo BRING ON WEDNESDAY! time to..forget about assessments, breathe in the harbour air and enjoy each others company and camwhore like no tomorrow of course.
back to a not-so-bright topic...let's pray for Burma. Somehow, hearing the news of the cyclone has hit me quite hard. Burma holds a special place in my heart and always will. My first mission trip, my first time truly experiencing God's presence, my first true wake up call. It's hard to imagine just how terrible the situation is over there. The political situation is so corrupt it's almost sickening. it's almost frightening that a week ago our pastor had just arrived back from burma showing photos of buildings and smiling children and one week later we see the same buildings completely destroyed and homeless ppl everywhere. It's hard to imagine how any of the buildings the could have stayed in one piece. and all the orphans...where are they going to go if their orphanages have been destroyed? pray for burma.
posted @ 6:42 AM
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Proverbs 31:10-30 (New International Version)
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
I may not be mother, or even a wife but that certainly is one of my favourite chapters of the bible. She's pretty much the ideal woman. Reading the passage again and hearing a sermon on it just makes me realise how much i have to learn. Guess it's something to work up to =) All these years of education but at the end of the day...when u read that passage you realise that it has nothing to do with IQ or good grades, it's all about wisdom. Mother's day does make me realise how amazing mothers really are and just how much they have to do for us.
hehehehe the Kingdom Kids performace at church was soo cuuute =) reminds me of when i was in sunday school (except a much smaller sunday school). *sigh* i wish i could be that young again..
part of Kingdom Kids..
hehehe i think the oldest kids there are year 3 coz after that they're too cool to be part of it. aww rachael and sarah... i luv you =)
=)
*sigh* these kids pray better than meee... =(
rachael -my favourite niece! rah rah didnt want to take photo with me =(
now this may not look like much to you but this is where my brand new house should and i stress..shouuuld be standing in a few months time. let's just pray the rain holds off for...a few months.
yesterday we had a 6 hour singing marathon at SUMS (sydney uni music society:the uni choir) 'camp' (most of us didnt stay the whole weekend) and now i can't get Mozart's requiem out of my head. We had to wake up at 6:45 which is at least 3 hours earlier than i would normally wake up on a saturday and we trained an hour out of sydney...apparently we were still in sydney though. It was actually really relaxing even just going 1 hour out. It's nice to not have to see cars everywhere and breathe in some fresh air. Believe it or not 6 hours singing was actually quite fun.
alright..sorry for the sudden longish post. Greetings to all my favourite ppl in melbourne =)
posted @ 3:08 AM
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now this may not look like much to you but this is where my brand new house should and i stress..shouuuld be standing in a few months time. let's just pray the rain holds off for...a few months.
alright..sorry for the sudden longish post. Greetings to all my favourite ppl in melbourne =)
