UAE pharmacists don’t ask questions of women buying pregnancy kits

Chemists have reassured women buying pregnancy kits that they are not allowed to ask them personal questions.

ABU DHABI // Pharmacists are not allowed to ask customers buying pregnancy test kits prying questions, such as their marital status.

The National posed the question to several women in Abu Dhabi if embarrassment has ever been an issue when buying a pregnancy test. While most said they have never felt uncomfortable, others said they felt judged.

Pharmacists reassured women they are not allowed to ask any questions of a personal nature.

“When a patient procures a pregnancy kit, we merely ask them if they know how to use it,” said K Vasudevan, pharmacy manager at LLH Hospital, Mussaffah.

“This is all that we are required to ask. We do not have to ask any further questions, personal or otherwise.”

The laws of the country make women apprehensive, said Dr Nazura Siddiqi.

“Because sex out of wedlock is illegal and prohibited in the UAE, I think people are scared to go and get pregnancy kits from a pharmacy,” she said. “But they are available freely over the counter and people do not need to worry.”

Dr Naglaa Rizk said she gets many requests from patients for pregnancy kits and also for blood tests to check pregnancy.

“We do not ask patients if they are married,” she said, adding that the only time a question about marital status comes up is when a patient is delivering a baby or applying for a birth certificate.

One resident, a married woman who asked to remain anonymous, felt awkward when she went to buy a pregnancy kit from a chemist.

“I bought a pregnancy test kit recently from a pharmacy. When I went there I felt judged, even though I made sure they could clearly see my wedding ring when I bought it,” she said.

Another woman said she was initially uncomfortable.

“I felt awkward but it should be normal,” she said.

Others were less hesitant when buying a kit.

“The pharmacists don’t ask you your marital status or age or any sort of question when you go in to buy a pregnancy kit,” said another woman. “At least I haven’t faced any such issue in my two years of living in the UAE.

“I get kits in the hypermarkets, too, but I am not very sure about the accuracy of such products. I prefer getting them from pharmacies and people there behave quite professionally.”

Another Abu Dhabi resident, who preferred to stay anonymous, agreed.

“I’ve bought them a few times without any hesitation and was never asked any questions about my marital status,” she said.

Another resident said: “I really doubt people pay much attention to wedding rings here to validate the fact that you are married or not. It is a different culture and it’s totally acceptable for people to be married without wearing one.”