President’s Message

Dear Colleagues,

This issue of the Pharmaciae (Vol. 12, No 1) has been long overdue. We are pleased to publish the first issue of the twelfth volume of the Pharmaciae, published on a newly developed website and under a new domain. This issue provides updates on key Council decisions and programmes since Vol. 11, No 2. We count 2026 as one of our busiest years – this, primarily due to preparations for the 4^th National Pharmacy Conference, National Pioneer Pharmacy Awards and the implementation of Continuing Professional Development for Pharmacy Support Personnel and Pharmacist-Initiated Management of Antiretroviral Therapy (PIMART).

The Pharmacy Act, 53 of 1974, entrusts Council with the responsibility of protecting the rights of the South African public to universally acceptable pharmaceutical services and the duty to enhance the dignity of the pharmacy profession, amongst other objects. The mandate of Council cannot be competently executed in an environment of resource dearth and financial recklessness. Good resource stewardship and financial prudence are the plasma that bears the lifeblood that sustains our work and our very existence. I am therefore happy to announce that Council has attained yet another unqualified audit opinion – the 17^th in a row. More details on the activities of Council and financial performance may be found in our latest Annual Integrated Report. To access the 2025 Council annual integrated report, stakeholders may visit the Council website at: www.sapc.za.org/Publications_Annual.

In October 2025, we announced to the profession and members of the media the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgement in a matter which sought to stop expanded access to HIV prevention and treatment services. It gives me great pleasure to announce to the profession that the Director-General: Health will start issuing limited-scope Section 22A(15) PIMART permits to all pharmacists who completed the PIMART short course. These pharmacists would also be provided with full-scope PIMART permits once they complete a bridging course. More details on this may be found in this article.

September was Pharmacy Month! Celebrated under the theme “Ask Your Pharmacist. Your pharmacist – your partner in health”. This theme sought to encourage members of the public to rely on their pharmacy team for health care needs and questions. The theme is both timely and fitting, given that we are in an era where many are turning to internet search engines and artificial intelligence both to understand their symptoms and for medicine and health advice. A key milestone we reached with the Pharmacy Month message this year is increased accessibility and inclusiveness – for the first time this year, the Pharmacy Month message became accessible for both the hearing impaired and the blind.

In addition to making the Pharmacy Month message in the eleven (11) verbal official languages and two Khoi and San languages, a South African Sign Language (SASL) video has been produced and, with the help of BlindSA, both the Pharmacy Month poster and pamphlet were made available in Braille. Braille posters and pamphlets were provided to schools and institutions providing services to the blind across South Africa and were made available free of charge from Office of Council and by courier. Digital material for printing and the SASL video were provided for download on Council’s website: www.sapc.za.org/PharmacyMonth.

In the very near future, Pharmacy Support Personnel across all registration categories will be granted the opportunity to participate in the annual Continuing Professional Development compliance programme to ensure they keep their knowledge and skills current for the benefit of their patients. We have launched the CPD for PSPs Portal to much acceptance by PSPs nationwide and are delighted to observe the increased activity on the platform by PSPs who are already practising to use the portal. While the CPD cycle for PSPs is similar to those of pharmacists, a key difference is that PSPs will only be expected to submit four (4) CPD entries instead of the six (6) that are expected of pharmacists – this is in line with the domains in their competency standards.

It would be remiss of me to conclude this message without reminding the profession of the premier multi-stakeholder pharmacy conference on the continent – the 4^th National Pharmacy Conference, planned for 2 000 attendees, is set to convene at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre Complex (commonly “Durban ICC”) between Sunday, 11 October 2026 and Tuesday, 13 October 2026. Delegate tickets are fast running out, with the late registration ending on 09 October. The conference will be preceded by a Charity Golf Day on Saturday, 10 October 2026 and will conclude with the 2026 National Pioneer Pharmacy Awards gala evening on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 – where the highest honours bestowed by Council will be awarded to those of our colleagues who embody the very ethos of our glorious calling.

See you in KwaZulu-Natal this October!

Mr Mogologolo Phasha
President
South African Pharmacy Council