Dear Aviva,
I brought my prescription the other day to Superpharm, only to have them tell me that it would cost me 150 shekels! They told me if I bought it at the kupah pharmacy, it would only be 16 shekels. What’s going on? Can I ever buy my prescriptions at Superpharm?
Sincerely,
Fuming in the Pharmacy
Dear Fuming,
There are some medications that are only available through the kupah pharmacy (like those that you received through special permission for example) or those that are only in the sal trufot (basket of medications from the government) for specific illnesses. On your prescription you receive from the doctor, it will tell you, on the left-hand side or under the name of the prescription, the percentage of subsidy you will receive on the purchase of the medication, and where you need to buy the medication. Bakupah bilvad means at the kupah pharmacy only. For prescriptions that do not specify where you need to purchase them, you will need to ask the pharmacist at the private pharmacy (Superpharm being one example) what the price will be and compare it to the kupah’s price.
In addition, you should remember that the kupah reserves the right to substitute the generic medication for the name brand which you may have been taking, and they do not always have the name brand available. You may push to have the name brand and not the generic if you feel the medication affects you differently. Ask the pharmacist if the medication is available at other branches if it is not at that branch.
Yours in health,
Aviva
Ask Aviva #10: Is it true that private doctors won’t be able to see patients publicly anymore?
