It's 10 a.m. on Tuesday, at the reception desk of a neighborhood clinic. An international student checked in because of a cold. The staff member said, "Please tell me your name and date of birth." When the appointment was over, they got no medicine, just a single sheet of paper. When they went to the pharmacy, the pharmacist asked again. "Where does it hurt? Do you have any allergies?" The student wondered why they were asking again when she had already told them everything at the hospital. ## Why they ask for your name and date of birth There are a lot of people in Korea with the same name. Only when you also give your date of birth won't your records or prescriptions get mixed up with someone else's. Medicine is dangerous if it goes to the wrong person, so hospitals always do this check. It's not rude; it's for safety. ## Why Hospitals and Pharmacies Are Separate In 2000, a system called "separation of prescribing and dispensing" began. Doctors examine patients and write prescriptions. Pharmacists dispense medication according to those prescriptions. When two people share the work, unnecessary medications are reduced, and mistakes can be caught one more time. That's the same reason the pharmacist asks again. They need to know what medicine you're taking now and what allergies you have to find drugs that don't go well together. ## Ways You Can Use Right Away You can fill a prescription at any pharmacy. A pharmacy near the hospital is the most convenient. A prescription is only valid for a certain period, so go the same day you get it. It's a good idea to write down the names of any medications you take regularly and your allergies in a note on your phone. Even if your Korean isn't great, if you show the note to the pharmacist, they'll understand right away.