SUBSCRIBE
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Health For Mzansi
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
Health For Mzansi

Medicine supply management lacking in SA’s clinics

The appointment of trained pharmacist assistants is urgently needed at clinics throughout Mzansi. They can play a significant role in medicine supply chain management which will allow nurses to provide quality healthcare services

by Sibusiso Zuma
31st March 2023
in Trending
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
Medicine supply management lacking in SA's clinics

Many primary healthcare clinics still do not have a pharmacist assistant to assist nurses and patients. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Primary healthcare clinics are the main healthcare access point for millions of South Africans. There are at least 3 467 state-funded primary healthcare clinics across South Africa’s nine provinces. Most South Africans get their essential medicines from public health facilities, which serve 71% of the population.

Nurses often run clinics as the only available health professionals. But dispensing and medicine supply management is not their core function. When nurses have to manage essential medical supplies, it takes their attention away from quality patient care delivery.

Pharmacist assistants offer a solution, but…

This multitasking by nurses is among the main reasons for essential medicine stockouts in primary healthcare clinics in South Africa.

To improve compliance with medicine standards, the South African government started to train pharmacist assistants to increase the number of people available to help with medication management. It recognised that producing enough fully trained pharmacists for deployment in primary healthcare clinics would take five years or longer.

The training programme for post-basic pharmacist assistant qualification is two years – much shorter than that of pharmacists. There are currently 16 250 registered post-basic pharmacist assistants.

But many clinics still don’t have one. In my recent research, I set out to assess the role of post-basic pharmacist assistants at primary healthcare clinics. The aim was to make recommendations to improve essential medicine supply management.

Urgent plans needed

I found that around a third of the clinics we looked at didn’t have a pharmacist assistant. These clinics were more likely than other clinics to have erratic medicine supply management practices. Pharmacist assistants contribute positively to reducing essential medicine shortages. There should be urgent plans to employ more of them.

Essential medicines stockouts result in patients having to make multiple visits to health facilities. They spend time waiting and lose working hours. Patients are exposed to unnecessary changes in their treatment regimen as health workers try to compensate for the stockout through dose combination.

Managing medicine supply

My study was done in 11 of South Africa’s 52 health districts. To collect the data, I spoke to 11 district pharmaceutical service managers and reviewed medicine availability reports.

Only 429 (63%) of the 685 primary healthcare clinics had at least one pharmacist assistant. This means that 256 (37%) clinics did not have a pharmacist assistant to manage the medicine supply. Nurses had to do the job of managing supplies of essential medicines and dispensing them.

I found that clinics without pharmacist assistants were more likely to have erratic medicine supply management practices. In one district without post-basic pharmacist assistants, medicine availability was an average of 88%.

Medicine supply management lacking in SA's clinics
Nurses make up the largest group of healthcare providers in South Africa. The performance of any healthcare system is directly dependent on the quality of care afforded by these healthcare professionals. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Those with pharmacist assistants had markedly better stock levels. In 10 districts where at least a quarter of the primary healthcare clinics had post-basic pharmacist assistants, medicine availability was at an average of 95%. This figure is in line with acceptable norms. These clinics had a lower prevalence of medicine stockouts.

A district pharmaceutical services manager who participated in the research said:

We are doing well on medicine availability thanks to the availability of (pharmacist) assistants in our clinics.

Lightening the burden

The study findings show that pharmacist assistants play a significant role in medicine supply chain management in primary healthcare clinics. Additionally, they can free up nurses to focus on providing quality healthcare services.

The appointment of one pharmacist assistant can free up professional nurses from managing medical supplies. It guarantees that at least 40 patients receive uninterrupted clinical care per day.

Pharmacist assistants also have the time and skill to counsel patients on treatment benefits and adherence. This goes a long way to encourage patients to stay on treatment.

Another benefit is the appropriate storage and management of essential medicines. Pharmacist assistants can ensure that medicine is kept at appropriate temperatures for effectiveness. They also implement stock rotation to use expiring medicines first. This reduces the occurrence of medicines expiring on the shelves.

There have been initiatives within the government to encourage the permanent appointment of trained pharmacist assistants in primary healthcare clinics. However, many provincial clinics struggle to permanently appoint at least one pharmacist assistant due to financial constraints. In some instances, donors have stepped in to finance short-term contracts for pharmacist assistants as a temporary solution.

The lack of effective placements has also meant that the private health sector has absorbed many government-trained pharmacist assistants. The majority of pharmacists (and pharmacist assistants) in South Africa practise in community pharmacies, which are pharmacist-owned (independent) or form part of pharmacy chains.

Recommendations

To promote consistent essential medicine availability, National Treasury needs to allocate dedicated funding for the permanent employment of at least one post-basic pharmacist assistant in each of the primary healthcare clinics across South Africa.

Provincial district health services must phase in the permanent employment of post-basic pharmacist assistants. This will go a long way in promoting good medicine supply management at clinics.

This article was written by Sibusiso Zuma and originally published by The Conversation.

ALSO READ: Water cuts leave Mzansi’s clinics high and dry

Get the Health For Mzansi newsletter: Your bi-weekly dose of kasi health, wellness and self-care inspiration.

Tags: healthcare clinicsMedication
Sibusiso Zuma

Sibusiso Zuma

Related Articles

Trending

FS clinic upgrade stalls, forces patients into cramped church

by Tladi Moloi
19th June 2025
Kombucha
My Health

Kombucha: The tangy tea that’s good for your gut

by Candice Khumalo and Vateka Halile
17th June 2025

Stories

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites
Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics
Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy
Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen
No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches
How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth
Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing
Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers
No Result
View All Result

Latest

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes
Nutrition

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes

by Vateka Halile
24th June 2025

There’s magic in a pot of simmering meaty bones. Rich in collagen, gelatin, and flavour, they support joint and gut...

Read moreDetails
Fathers matter: Shaping lives, not just childhoods

Fathers matter: Shaping lives, not just childhoods

23rd June 2025
UCT

Amputees call for support beyond surgery

20th June 2025

FS clinic upgrade stalls, forces patients into cramped church

19th June 2025
Pineapple tea is Mzansi’s medicine in a mug

Pineapple tea is Mzansi’s medicine in a mug

18th June 2025
Health For Mzansi

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824

News: hello@healthformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

Awards & Impact
Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy
Copyright

Somagwaza

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites

cropped-scott-webb-yekGLpc3vro-unsplash.jpeg

Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics

Dr Sinethemba Makanya

Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy

Meaty bones & dumplings recipe: Comfort food that nourishes

Fathers matter: Shaping lives, not just childhoods

Amputees call for support beyond surgery

FS clinic upgrade stalls, forces patients into cramped church

Pineapple tea is Mzansi’s medicine in a mug

Kombucha: The tangy tea that’s good for your gut

error: Content is protected !!
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes

© 2021 Health For Mzansi | Farmers For Change Pty (Ltd)

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers