Viraj Ray

Viraj Ray 
Ashworths Chemist
Health Equality Award
Highly Commended

“Viraj is evidently that caring, passionate and empathetic individual we all pray to meet in our time of need,” says Ade Williams MBE, RoE judge and lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy. And he’s certainly right. The supervisor wowed the judges this year with the ways he went the extra mile to support the Nepalese community in his local area.

During the pandemic, Viraj became aware that the Nepalese community were facing problems ordering prescriptions due to language barriers. He talked with the GP surgeries in the area and put patients through for automatic dispensing and delivery so there was nothing for them to worry about. 

Truly going the extra mile to help a community that otherwise would not have received assistance or access to healthcare, “showing real commitment to supporting the local community and enabling them to speak in Nepalese”, says Elen Jones, RoE judge and RPS director for Wales.

“A lot of our Nepalese patients will ask for Viraj personally when calling or visiting the pharmacy and always take time to show their appreciation and gratitude to him,” says Molly East, nominator and pre-registration pharmacy technician. “We gained over 500 new nominations since Viraj started to provide this outstanding service to the Nepalese community in Ashford who faced tough health inequalities due to the language barrier.

“He is a caring, determined, passionate and empathetic individual who has a very bright future ahead of him.”