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South Africa is faced with a high rate of TB, Prevention-of-mother-to-child-transfer of HIV, HIV infections, High Blood Pressure diseases, Antibiotics Resistance Challenges, Side-effects as a result of wrong medicines dispensed. These medical challenges can only be resolved when “Health Care Points” are ALWAYS under the supervision of adequately qualified personnel.
The SAPC is a statutory body formed solemnly to regulate the Pharmacy profession and in the process protecting the South African populace against any untoward practice by Pharmacists.
In the recent years one has wondered who is overseeing the failures of SAPC in carrying out its statutory mandate. The Pharmacy Council is dismally failing to protect the people of South Africa against unscrupulous Pharmacists. Untoward practice by pharmacists continue unabated or actually encouraged by Pharmacy Council by doing nothing about it or slapping the culprits with VERY insignificant sentences.
The challenges related to failure of Pharmacy Council to discharge its statutory mandate, are multidimensional but intertwined. The major problem is the corruption within Pharmacy Council. You have the very same Pharmacy Council members owning pharmacies and running their pharmacies unscrupulously, and these goes unpunished because the members of Pharmacy Council cannot take action against themselves. This is a sort of immunity against any wrong doing on their part. You also have Pharmacy Council Inspectors who own pharmacies that are run unscrupulously and are susceptible to BRIBES. Some of the inspections are performed at restaurants and pubs and not in the pharmacies where they are supposed to.
The inspectors are not monitored at all. This defeats the purpose of the existence of Pharmacy Council. We have many pharmacies that have been running without pharmacies for years, Pharmacies whos premises do not comply with the relevant prescripts, pharmacies which continue to sell prescription medicines without the necessary doctor’s prescriptions.
The Pharmacy Council decides on who to discipline based on whether a bribe can be paid or not. Many of the complaints raised by the community members are just swept under the carpets. Instead of taking action, the person capturing the complaint will actually alert the unscrupulous pharmacists of the pending complaint against him/her. Once money has exchanged hands, our people will continue to be subjected to VERY dangerous actions by unqualified pharmacists.
It is just not a serious thing for Pharmacy Council when a pharmacy continues to operate without qualified personnel. People who have not even passed matric (Grade 12) have taken over the role of pharmacists in South African retail pharmacies. This fact is known by Pharmacy Council since most of its members are also culprits on this point in their own pharmacies. Many of the inspectors leave their pharmacies under the supervision of unqualified personnel whenever they go to conduct inspections of other pharmacies.
Medical Aid Schemes are doing a better job than the pharmacy council to combat corruption in pharmacies. It’s a pity that the medical aid schemes do not communicate with Pharmacy Council at all.
I suggest that the current Pharmacy Council be dissolved immediately and that the manner in which the Council is constituted be reviewed. There is just no difference with a gang boss influencing the recruitment process of police officers, in return of protection (from arrest) by the same police officers.
Pharmacy Council Inspector should not own Pharmacies. No Pharmacy in South Africa should be allowed to operate (even for a minute) without a pharmacist. Whenever a Pharmacist resigns from a pharmacy that pharmacy must be closed until such a pharmacy submit proof of employment of a new pharmacist to the Pharmacy council. Unqualified personnel should be prohibited in the pharmacy and in the event that an unqualified personnel is found to be performing the duties of a pharmacist that person must be arrested as per relevant prescripts.
It is a pity that authorities have adopted snail-pace methods in resolving life-threatening practices confronted by our people.
