I feel comparing it to swimming pools might not be the right metric. The don’t get medicine from a pool and I don’t measure things in pools. Also, how big are these pools and do I even have a sense of the size of that?

No, pools are a bad choice.

Metric swimming pools?

Just like everything else we produce first for profit.

For those metric people who can't understand the units used here, it's an intuitive 187.5 megaliters.

I don't like the implication that patients are somehow greedy.

This is a problem of packaging mostly, meaning you can't have just three pills of something, it's a blister pack of 10 at least. Maybe also of doctors overprescribing.

I don't like the measure of swimming pools either. Is it with packaging or without? Anyhow, how much is a swimming pool? Not standardised afaik. They should've said how many individual pills or doses, at the very least. Slightly more precise.

What do they call wasted medicine? Because many times a medicine that it is going to be used just a couple of times comes in a huge package like 10 times the size needed.

Volume makes no sense for this measurement, most of the pills and capsules are filler or shell

If it’s prescription then usually it’s a prescribed course or to to treat a condition.

The thing is mixed messages don’t help. Docs are often saying try something else before meds. So then if you get meds and it solves the problem then people stop. So wasted meds exist.

Secondly you tend to get a repeat prescription it’s often to manage or anticipate, say for example a migraine. If then this does not occur then it’s wasted meds.

Question is, if you need it later and it is not there and the doc L/surgery makes it hard to get hold of the med again is it easier option is to have a repeat prescription.

And the uk does not usually measure in swimming pools, football fields or Dodge rams. So whoever wrote this is clearly trying to get a reaction.

Grams per inhabitant would be a better measure IMO.

This is a huge issue in the United States, as well. And then there are people who need medicine and can't afford it.

Swimming in it, just call me junkie Scrooge McDuck

And I bet the little urchins insist on swimming in water instead smh my head