The COVID-19 situation in the country has taken a turn of concern with the arrival of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the current Pharmacy Support Personnel qualifications are coming to an end in June 2022, and Council has decided to defy inflationary forces in support of the profession with only a 4% adjustment in annual fees. Mr Vincent Tlala, the Registrar/CEO of the South African Pharmacy Council unpacks these and other matters in this article.

While Council ends the year with quite a few highs, we remain concerned about the continuing pressure exerted by COVID-19 on the health care system and rising COVID-19 infections across the land. We call upon all in Pharmacy to continue immensely contributing to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme to ensure our ultimate triumph against this pandemic.

This article presents a summary of selected matters discussed and decisions taken by the South African Pharmacy Council (‘Council’) during its meetings held on 14/15 October 2020, 17/18 February 2021, 11/12 May 2021, and 13/14 July 2021. Other matters on the operations of the Office of the Registrar and Council are covered in the articles featured in this December 2021 issue of the Pharmaciae.

The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) is happy to present to the profession our newly appointed and promoted employees, who have undergone a rigorous selection process. They bring with them a diversity of skills, experience and capabilities to help the SAPC fulfil its legislative mandate. In this period, we are also bidding farewell to two (2) colleagues as they opted to pursue other paths and seek greener pastures. We wish them the very best in their new paths.

Having taken stock of the continued commitment of pharmacy professionals to the fight against COVID-19 and the intensity with which Pharmacy is supporting the country’s vaccine rollout programme, the South African Pharmacy Council (Council) has resolved to adjust annual fees by only 4%, defying inflation, as a gesture of support and solidarity with the profession.

Legislation having an impact on Pharmacy and the practice environment is continuously updated in response to changing environmental and other factors. We endeavour to include all legislative amendments and new/proposed legislation and regulations in each issue of the e-Pharmaciae. This edition looks at the legislation published in 2021.

The brutality of COVID-19 and the sustained lack of definite treatment for the pathogen continue to pose ethical challenges for health care workers globally, including pharmacy professionals. The desire to heal and provide definite therapeutic outcomes for patients is an internalised trait of all pharmacy professionals; as such, the off-label usage of certain health products is likely in a pandemic. However, pharmacy professionals are called upon to ensure their actions are always ethical and beyond reproach.

Changing the location of a pharmacy, its ownership of making internal changes within the pharmacy without notifying the South African Pharmacy Council and seeking approval from relevant authorities is against regulatory and legal requirements, and may not only affect access to pharmaceutical services within affected communities but may also result in non-compliance with good pharmacy, manufacturing and/or wholesaling practice (GxP) requirements. When it occurs, it may result in withdrawal of the pharmacy licence.

Continuing Professional Development is an important element of continued competence of a professional in a rapidly advancing practice environment, such as that which pharmacists operate within. New technologies, therapies and health products are continuously being introduced; and best practice is evolving and everchanging in response to policy, disease burden, new diseases, amongst others. As such, for a pharmacy professional to remain competent and relevant, a mindset that embraces life-long learning is necessary.

The South African Pharmacy Council continuing professional development system is one that emphasises outcome-based learning and does not rely on the accumulation of points as an indicator of learning. As such, it is easy to comply with CPD requirements and the system allows for a cost-free learning process. Learning could occur through short courses, self-study, on-the-job guidance or learning, webinars, journal articles, amongst many other avenues.

The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) is legislatively mandated to protect the public’s right to quality pharmaceutical care and to uphold the good image of the pharmacy profession. To achieve this end, the Committee of Formal Inquiry investigates alleged misconduct by pharmacy professionals and premises owners, and institutes various penalties on those found guilty – these can range from a fine and/or suspension from practice, or complete deregistration. In terms of the Regulations relating to the conduct of inquiries held in terms of Chapter V of the Pharmacy Act, 53 of 1974, in particular Regulation 26, respondents who have been found guilty by a Committee of Formal Inquiry (CFI) shall have their names, together with the summary of the charges and the penalty imposed by the CFI, published in a Council report.

The current pharmacy support personnel (PSP) qualifications – National Certificate: Pharmacist Assistant (Basic) and Further Education and Training Certificate: Pharmacist Assistant (Post-Basic) – are coming to an end soon. They will be replaced with the Occupational Certificate (Basic and Post-Basic). This article explains the introduction of the Occupational Certificate, enrolment, and the teach-out period of current qualifications.

Pharmacy is a regulated health profession. This means that no person may practice the scope of practice of a registered person (pharmacist or pharmacy support person) unless such person has complied with pre-registration/registration requirements and is duly registered by the South African Pharmacy Council. This article highlights important details and dates for 2022 Pharmacist Interns and Foreign-Qualified Persons (Citizens and non-Citizens) wishing to register as pharmacists in South Africa.

The South African Pharmacy Council will be erecting a digital wall of remembrance, dubbed the South African COVID-19 Pharmacy Wall of Remembrance, in honour of selfless pharmacy professionals who paid the ultimate price in the fight against COVID-19, by serving patients while most of the world chose self-preservation. Loved ones of these colleagues, selfless combatants, and servants of humanity are called upon to submit their names for inclusion on this Wall of Remembrance.

Vaccines save lives, and they provide effective protection against infection from various pathogens. The COVID-19 vaccines currently available in South African have been shown to be effective at minimising the risk of infection, hospitalisation, severe disease, and death. The South African Pharmacy Council calls upon all registered persons and members of the public to vaccinate, to avoid the risks that come with infection and possible death.

Pharmacy Month 2021 was all about the vital role pharmacy plays in the healthcare team. “Think Pharmacy – Quality Healthcare for All” was the theme and in this article, we take a glance at some of the sterling work done by the profession to celebrate this theme.

Of the 899 Pharmacist Interns who sat for the three Pre-registration Examinations held in March, August and November 2021, an overwhelming majority (93% or n=836) were successful. The South African Pharmacy Council congratulates the 2021 cohort of Pharmacist Interns for this success rate and wishes all candidates a successful Community Service experience in 2022. For the 63 candidates who were unfortunately not successful in 2021, the March 2022 examination presents an early opportunity to successfully complete the pre-registration evaluation.

Members of the public and the profession are advised that, as at December 2021, the below list constitute the only approved providers of pharmacy education and training, and the courses approved.

The South African Pharmacy Council registers assessors of pharmacy education and training in line with the Regulations relating to the registration of persons and maintenance of registers (GNR. 1160/2000). Included is the latest list of Registered Assessors as at December 2021.