A prominent Canadian doctor has begun to recycle unused prescription drugs to homeless people in Ottawa because he says they could not afford them otherwise, CBC News has learned.
Dr. Jeff Turnbull, chief of staff at the Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, acknowledges the practise is controversial but says it is one way to ensure that homeless people get the medication they desperately need.
“We make sure that they are the right medications and the right dose, that they haven’t been opened and are completely new and sealed.”
This is a great idea! Having worked with the homeless and disadvantaged for years, the need is certainly there. Much better that the med’s be used in a proper manner than wasted and/or disposed of in an incorrect manner. Kudo’s to Dr. Turnbull for thinking “outside of the box”. Wish we had more like him!