Numerous opportunities currently exist
for pharmacy graduates. These span the traditional areas of pharmacy practice
– community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, industrial pharmacy and academic
pharmacy. There is however exciting sub-sectors of pharmacy practice emerging
within South Africa, shaped by the country’s numerous health care needs.
Such areas of practice include consultant pharmacy, managed care pharmacy,
health system management including health data management, primary health
care, and policy development (drug access and affordability). Presently the
pharmacy profession in South Africa is sufficiently adaptable to respond to
the fluctuating pressures placed upon it by the health care demands of the
diverse communities it serves. New areas of pharmacy practice are therefore
bound to surface in the near future.
What has been your career/work
experience since graduating?
I graduated from The University of the
Witwatersrand with a Bachelor Degree in Pharmacy. While completing my primary
degree I was President of the South African Pharmaceutical Students Federation
(SAPSF) for a period of two years after which I was elected the President of
the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF) for one year. I am
the Co-Founder of the African Pharmaceutical Students Federation (APSF) and
was the Inaugural President. I have worked for Glaxo SmithKline (SA) (Pty) Ltd
as their Pharmacist Intern. Upon completion of my internship I joined the
Southern Gauteng Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa as their
Professional Development Manager – a position which I maintained for three
years. I have recently been appointed a Lecturer (Pharmacy Practice) at the
Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. In March 2000 I was appointed
by the Minister of Labour (South Africa) to serve on the Board of the Health
and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA). Postgraduate
studies include a Diploma in Manager Development (Damelin Management School),
Industrial and Organisational Psychology (University of South Africa) and I am
currently in the process of completing a Masters in Public and Development
Management – Economic Policy and Public Finance (Graduate School of Public
and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand). My non-pharmacy
interests include: philosophy, mythology, swimming, and sitting in a sauna!
What are some of the problems
facing pharmacy practice in South Africa today and how do you think they can
be overcome?
The increasing number of pharmacists
who succumb to the coercive recruitment strategies of large corporates will
soon have a devastating effect on the provision of pharmaceutical services. A
solution to this dilemma has not been forthcoming. There are however movements
afoot to increase the number of pharmacy support staff – pharmacy assistants
and pharmacist assistants. It is envisaged that in the medium to long-term,
with sufficient quantities of trained pharmacy support staff, the provision of
pharmaceutical services will achieve stability.
In addition, HIV/AIDS will force the
pharmacy profession to reprioritise the scope of its services provided to the
community, directly or indirectly. The South African pharmacy profession is
presently formulating a holistic strategy to tackle the problem.
