Thursday, March 13, 2025

Issue:

Mackay and Whitsunday Life

Phil Derlagen: The Pharmacists’ Pharmacist

Since 2013, Phil Derlagen, who owns Complete Health Pharmacy in Home Hill, has been servicing the community. This half Dutch, half Sicilian pharmacist, who graduated in 2010 from Townsville, doesn’t see any two days the same, with a typical one involving a whole range of varying aspects.

“You’ve got to be prepared to see lots of different things. People come in and ask questions that can be straightforward, and at other times it can be quite challenging. For example, trying to make sure that they understand something might be serious and that they need to take it to the doctor. That's probably one of the hardest things,” Phil expresses.

At just 39, Phil noticed changes in the way people now view healthcare, with many taking control of their health needs.

“People like to come to pharmacists because we're just so readily accessible and knowledgeable. After moving to this location near IGA in 2018, we renamed it Complete Health Pharmacy because I saw a shift towards a lot of natural based medicines,” Phil says.

“There are now a lot of people who swear by natural products and it's hard to dismiss. People are actually getting results from some of the treatments they’re doing. It’s a such a growing market. We do a lot of research into the products before we even stock them,” Phil adds.

Complete Health Pharmacy – the one-stop-shop for all your health needs where people go to get good, honest advice in the process.

Phil Derlagen, the pharmacists' pharmacist. Photo credit: Mark T. Rasmussen

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