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PHARMASAVE KERRISDALE: Community Matters Story by Sarah Gordon
Photos by Carolynne Palla
Small businesses are the cornerstone of Kerrisdale and pharmacist Rabia Sumar takes great pride in being the owner of Pharmasave on West 41st Avenue. With over 750 stores across the Pharmasave is one of Canada’s independent pharmacy and drugstore Each store operates independently to community.
country, leading retailers. serve its
As a pharmacy student in England, Rabia completed both community and hospital pharmacy placements. That is when found her love for smaller, independently owned pharmacies, where she feels patient care is on a more personal level. She began working at Pharmasave Kerrisdale in 2014. During the four years she worked at the pharmacy she got to know all of the store’s patients individually and felt like they were a part of her extended family. “In 2018, the opportunity arose to purchase Pharmasave Kerrisdale. I quickly stepped up, and the rest is history,” says Rabia. 20
To better serve the neighbourhood, one of the first things she did was to extend the hours of operation to six days a week.
“A lot of the pharmacy’s patients ask me if I get burnt out, but when you love what you do, it makes working a lot of fun.” Rabia Sumar The role of a pharmacist is to focus on overall health and let customers know when they should see a doctor versus self-diagnosing. They optimize patient care and work closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure patients are improving their overall health. “Pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals and serve as the first line for many minor ailments. Our expanded scope of practice allows us to offer
April 15 - June 15, 2021
KerrisdaleInsider.com
