Once again, there's a difference between British and American English. In Britain, a 'chemist's' is a type of shop. It sells a wide variety of products for health and beauty - soaps, toothpaste, make-up, shampoo and much more. There is also a section within the chemist's known as the pharmacy, where you can by medicines/drugs. Some of these you can get 'over the counter', which means that they can be sold to anyone. Others you can only get 'on prescription' . This means that they need to be prescribed for an individual patient after a consultation with a doctor. The pharmacist isn't allowed to dispense the medicine unless they see this prescription. In the US, the term 'chemist's' isn't used in this way. The store itself is known as a 'pharmacy' in the US. You sometimes come across this usage in the UK, too. As for your second question, this varies greatly from one country to another. In Britain, residents can see a GP (or General Practioner) without paying. You are usually registered with a GP close to where you live, and you can make an appointment to see them without any charge.