It was early on a Sunday morning. A feisty grey-haired elderly lady approached my pharmacy counter, wanting to collect medication for her husband who had just been discharged. I checked the electronic prescription system and informed her, “M’am, your husband’s discharge medication is not ready yet. I will expedite the processing of his discharge medication. In the meantime, could you please take a walk and come back later?” Appearing visibly anxious, she agreed but told me to make it quick as she had to report to work in one and a half hour’s time.

Five minutes later, the elderly lady returned to the discharge pharmacy and was asked to obtain a queue number. By that point, the queue had grown from one patient to five patients and I could hear her muttering angrily under her breath. She walked up to the pharmacy counter, yelling at the top of her voice, “I’m not going to wait anymore! I’m leaving now. It’s all because of you that I can’t obtain my husband’s medication and I’m going to be late for work. If anything happens, I will come back and find you and hold you responsible!”

Wanting to salvage the situation as quickly as possible, I shouted to her across the pharmacy to the exit door where she was, “When will you be coming back to collect his medication?” “No, I’m not coming back anymore!” I pleaded with her in return – “Please, can you just stay for a little while more? The medication is being packed and will be ready very soon.” She reluctantly walked back into the pharmacy with her husband. Thankfully, in a matter of minutes, her husband’s medication was ready, and I proceeded to dispense them to her. She calmed down considerably and expressed her gratitude to me with a simple “thank you” before leaving.

In retrospect, I asked myself, what did this lady want? What was she trying to express? She was probably highly anxious about her impending shift, and wanted to collect her husband’s discharge medication as soon as possible so she could bring him home and then report to work on time. Perhaps she just needed to vent her stress and frustration. Was I judging her as yet another difficult patient to handle, or was this an opportunity for me to show her some kindness and empathise with her difficult situation? Perhaps she had deeper social or financial issues, which meant that she had to work to make ends meet despite her advanced age and burden of being a caregiver to her husband. I can only hope that she has enough time to rest and take care of herself in spite of the many responsibilities she holds. As for myself, the next time I meet someone like her, I will be sure to speak more kindly to them and try to ensure their needs are met.

Evangeline Chai works as a pharmacist at Sengkang General Hospital. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, playing the piano and writing about her lived experiences.