Baby Rushed To Hospital After Pharmacy In Wales Refused Prescription Written In Welsh

Baby Rushed To Hospital After Pharmacy In Wales Refused Prescription Written In Welsh
Wales News Service

A supermarket pharmacy in Wales refused to hand over medicine to a mum for her sick baby – because part of the prescription was written in Welsh.

Mum Alys Mann, 33, took the prescription from the family doctors to Morrisons pharmacy in the Welsh language stronghold of Bangor after her one-year-old son Harley developed a chest infection.

But staff refused to give her the steroid tablets because they could not read the note as not all of it was in English.

Alys was then forced to drive back to his GP's to get another prescription note which was eventually filled – a round-trip of two hours.

But baby Harley's condition worsened and he had to be admitted to hospital for treatment the next morning.

Wales News Service

Writing on Facebook, Harley's dad Aled, 34, said: "I can't believe Morrisons wouldn't give us Harley's prescription for a chest infection today because it was in Welsh.

"No other pharmacist in Bangor or Caernarfon had what he needed so we had to go back to the surgery to get it changed."

He later added: "Unfortunately Harley was admitted to hospital.

"Who knows, if he'd have had the steroid tablets when he needed them it could have been avoided."

The family live in the 2,000-strong seaside village of Felinheli, near Bangor, north Wales.

Their GP Dr Ieuan Parry printed the prescription for baby Harley's steroid tablets in their native language.

Arfon Wyn, a local councillor, said the news was 'disturbing'.

He said: "The parents were forced to dash back to the surgery to try and get the prescription changed.

"But from what I understand this was too late and the child had to be rushed to Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital for treatment.

"This is totally diabolical. It is the trend of these large supermarkets not to employ bilingual local people and so such terrible events as this can take place."

Mr Wyn said he planned to organise a protest of councillors and local business people at the store to demand a full investigation and apology.

A Morrisons spokesman said: "The pharmacy team are looking into it and are working with the store and area pharmacy team to find out what has happened."

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