Heroes on a Tricycle
Generika pharmacy assistant Sheena Gallego goes out of her way to bring medicines to her customers
Words by RHYS BUCCAT
Sheena Gallego was running out of songs to play, and it was only 8 o’clock in the morning. The 27-year-old pharmacy assistant had been standing for an hour at the bus terminal, waiting for the “libreng sakay” for frontliners that would bring her to the Generika branch in La Paz, Iloilo City.
Her ‘90s music playlist calmed her down and eased the boredom of the long wait. But that wasn’t the only “soundtrack” of her new normal. Her days as a frontliner hummed to the tune of Alan Menken and… the tricycle engine.
A small but important role
Sheena couldn’t miss a day of work—not because she needed the pay, but because her customers needed her. She fully understood the crucial role of drugstores in decongesting hospitals during the pandemic. People with mild diseases were advised to self-medicate and monitor their symptoms at home. The neighborhood pharmacist was their closest and most accessible health practitioner.
“Kailangan kong pumasok at matugunan ‘yung medicine needs ng mga tao. Kaya kahit mahirap ang transportation, talagang pumapasok ako para magbukas ng store,” she said.
#AyalaCitizenDiary: When public transportation shut down, Sheena’s work commute grew from 20 minutes to over two hours. Every day—while listening to this song and many more in her playlist—she walked several kilometers to the bus terminal, and waited in line with dozens of other stranded commuters.
A special heart for senior citizens
Sheena knew that some of her most important customers, the senior citizens, couldn’t even go to the pharmacy.
Her own parents were senior citizens. She was their caregiver; her sister, who works in Dubai, entrusted her with managing the household.
That’s why she knew the plight of senior citizens, especially those who lived alone.
““As a healthcare worker, I have the privilege to go around—kaya ginamit ko ang tricycle to serve clients.””
“Kung hindi sila makakalabas ng bahay, paano ang mga needs nila like maintenance medicine?” she said, adding that her parents considered themselves lucky for having a daughter who worked at a pharmacy and could easily get them the medicines and supplements they needed.
However, there were many senior citizens who had no family and no transportation. They needed their medicines to stay healthy, but going out could also expose them to the dangerous virus.
Some heroes don’t have capes — just tricycles
Sheena volunteered to deliver medicines to their senior citizen clients so they wouldn't have to leave their homes. Thankfully, the Generika branch in La Paz supported this idea and hired a tricycle to help her roam around the city.
When Sheena dropped off medicines to her regular customers, they would greet her with bags of their own: snacks or a home-cooked meal they had prepared for her and the tricycle driver.
“As a healthcare worker, I have the privilege to go around, kaya ginamit ko iyon to serve clients [who couldn’t go out during the lockdown].”
And clients have been very appreciative. “Thankful po ako dahil ‘di na po namin kailangan lumabas para bumili ng gamot. Generika Drugstore lang po ang nag-offer ng home delivery of medicines. Malaking tulong sa amin ‘yung serbisiyo nila,” said Ninfa Camacho, a senior citizen customer.
Sheena added that some clients even cooked for them and gave them merienda packs to show their gratitude. “Makikita mo sa mga mata nila na happy sila at na-appreciate nila ‘yung extra effort mo,” she added.
Discovering new, affordable alternatives
But beyond delivering medicines, Sheena said their biggest accomplishment is how they were able to change people’s perception of generic medicines.
Some clients had strong brand loyalty. But when certain brands of medicines ran out of stock during the lockdown, many approached Sheena and the Generika team for affordable, good quality unbranded alternatives.
Sheena (second from left) greets customers with pharmacist Merlene T. Quindipan, and pharmacy assistants Ivel Celedonio and Salve Joy Sobremisana.
“Minsan ang mga tao, ang alam nila iisang gamot lang. Parte ng trabaho kong matulungan sila by giving them alternatives,” she said. “Sobrang thankful nila sa kaalaman na na-share mo.”
This, according to Sheena, continues to be their mission in Generika: to make medicine more accessible and affordable — whether it’s offering important information, affordable alternatives, or delivering medicines by tricycle in the middle of a pandemic.
That is the music that keeps her going. #
PUBLISHED ON JULY 13, 2020
