If I could write my own prescriptions...

If I could write my own prescriptions, I'd only charge a dollar (NZ).... I have to face the fact that every once in a while I get a wee-bladder infection. I get them, my mom gets them, and I'm sure Uncle Freddy gets them too. It's just part of life. You can drink all the cranberry juice you want, but the only way to get rid of the infection is a small dose of antibiotics. In Canada, I can go see my doctor and within minutes, I've got my prescription and off we go to fancy-free peeing. In New Zealand, however, it ain't so darned easy. Well, actually, it is easy, but it's terribly costly. After a quick pee in a cup, I was in the doctor's office waiting room twenty-seven times longer than it took for the doctor invite me into his office to say "Yup, it's a bladder infection. Here's your prescription." This whole process, which is not complex or time consuming, cost me $95.00 NZ. At least the ladies behind the counter were nice and chatty while they took my hard-earned money. Once I got to the chemist (a.k.a. pharmacy in Canada), it cost me $11.oo NZ to purchase five little pills guaranteed to produce fancy-free peeing. So, the grand total of $106.00 NZ was just enough to fit within the $100 CDN deductable on my travel health insurance. Hot damn.