A number of qualified pharmacists, after having completed their obligatory one-year internships recently, cannot practise as they are required to do a one year community service stint at a public service facility at the Department of Health in accordance with the Pharmacy Act 53 of 1974 before being allowed to practise.
Seventeen so-called ‘comm serve’ pharmacists who are not bursary holders of the Department of Health and were placed in Limpopo, upon collecting their contracts from the department were told that they have been replaced by comm serves who were bursary holders of the department, a source informed Polokwane Observer.
“This led to huge frustration and became financially crippling for the would-be comm serves as some had to travel far to reach Limpopo, where they were supposed to have started working,” the source stated in an e-mail to Polokwane Observer. According to this person there is a huge problem with the placement of community pharmacists in Limpopo specifically.
According to the source there are over 100 comm serve pharmacists nationally who are sitting at home due to lack of placements after having finalised their internships.
Derrick Kganyago, Spokesperson for the Department of Health said the department has space available for 66 community service pharmacist. “All these posts are currently filled with bursary holders,” he said, adding that the department has an obligation to them. “The department also absorbed 30 pharmacist interns who are all bursary holders. As bursary holders, the department has an obligation to provide a training platform for them and to prioritise them.
For 2017, Department of Health made 66 community service pharmacists posts available, placement of which took place at a national level.
“The National Department of Health allocated non-bursary holders to our facilities and left out bursary holders. Upon realising this mistake, we as the Department of Health wrote to the National Department of Health and alerted them that some of our bursary holders were omitted from the allocation and non-bursary holders were placed in our facilities. We provided the names of the bursary holders that should replace the non-bursary holders after they are removed from our allocation list. Individuals incorrectly placed were informed and bursary holders placed,” Kganyago said adding that two individuals did not accept the department’s position and reported to facilities where Limpopo bursary holders were already placed.
“These two non-bursary holders who were already informed in December that they cannot be placed in Limpopo were advised to sort out their placement with the national department. They did not do this but insisted on coming to our hospitals even though they were informed that we did not have space for them. Seventy Post Community Service pharmacists will be completing their community service between January and June 2017 and upon completion of their community service will be translated to Pharmacists Grade 1 as full time employees. The department is furthermore disturbed by recent media reports alleging that Limpopo Health is refusing to accept Community Service Pharmacists. The reports further alluded to lack of funds and poor planning at the Department. These allegations are unfounded and baseless,” Kganyago said.
Kganyago said the department has also opened up discussions with non-bursary holders, looking for a training platform to complete their internship, in order to find ways that the department can assist to accommodate them.
Spokesperson for the Minister of Health, Joe Maila, informed that a press conference regarding the issue was to take place today (Thursday) and declined to comment. A media release would be made available after the conference took place, he said.
Story: NELIE ERASMUS
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