Letter to the editor: US should make its own necessities

Medical necessity made searching for a drug that was not made in China or a third-world country a yearlong endeavor for me. I was prescribed a name-brand pharmaceutical by my doctor and had it filled at a well-known pharmacy in Greensburg. My medical insurance would only pay for generic. The generic I received came from China.

Being not overly optimistic at China’s quality control, I requested another prescription and it came from India. I called another pharmacy, and asked if they could get me my script from Canada. They could not. Suffice it to say, my search was futile. I had three choices: Either accept the generic from a third-world country, pay out-of-pocket, which was exorbitant, or just not take the prescribed medication.

This is the position we have been put in by relying on other countries to provide us with our necessities. We are dependents!

This pandemic should be an eye-opener. We need to manufacture our own necessities. It can be done, if we are willing to pay a little more. Isn’t your life worth it?

Michaelene McWhinney

Hempfield