A new pharmacy translation kit will help pharmacists ensure non-English speakers get the correct instructions for taking medication.
The kit translates basic words and phrases into seven languages and will help pharmacists to communicate essential information such as "do not stop taking this medication, even if you feel better".
McNaughton's Pharmacy proprietor pharmacist David Lai, of Dunedin, said there was no point giving people a drug if it was not going to be used properly.
New Zealand was becoming more multicultural and the kit was an excellent idea.
"We try to find somebody who can translate. We're not comfortable in letting [customers] go out the door without some form of instruction they understand."
Unichem Knox Pharmacy owner and pharmacist Trudie Scott-Walker, of Dunedin, said people often brought family members with them to interpret.
They were lucky to have a multilingual staff, but there were times pharmacists had called on other customers or people on the street to help out.
"It [the kit] is a great resource."
The kit was developed by the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand and includes translations in Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Maori, Samoan and Tongan for basic greetings, questions about medical history, information about prescriptions, and instructions for using medicines.
