Council Decisions
(July & October 2023)
This article presents a summary of selected matters discussed and decisions taken by the South African Pharmacy Council (hereafter “Council”) during its meetings held on 26 and 28 July and 18/19 October 2023. Other matters on the operations of the Office of the Registrar and Council are covered in the articles featured in this issue of the Pharmaciae.
Removal of registration/recording of pharmacies as a result of non-compliance with Good Pharmacy Practice and other pharmacy legislation
In terms of Regulation 72 of the Regulations relating to registration of persons and maintenance of registers, Council may direct the Registrar to remove from the register of pharmacies any pharmacy which does not comply with any of the conditions of registration of such pharmacy. At its meetings, Council deliberates on the removal of pharmacies from the register for reasons ranging from non-compliance with the Rules relating to good pharmacy practice and other legislation to the non-payment of fees.
At its meeting in July 2023, it was decided that twenty-eight (28) of these pharmacies would be removed from the register, while at its October 2023 meeting, it was decided that a further thirteen (13) pharmacies would be removed from the register based on the Guidelines for Removal of Pharmacy Registration/Recording as a Result of Non-Compliance with Good Pharmacy Practice and Other Pharmacy Legislation, as published in Board Notice 63 of 2020.
Responsible Pharmacists and Pharmacy Owners are reminded to ensure that their pharmacies comply with all relevant legislation and that the pharmacy account with Council is up to date to avoid removal of the recording/registration of their pharmacy.
Applicants with a qualification obtained outside of South Africa
The Office of the Registrar receives applications from candidates with foreign qualifications who wish to be registered with Council as pharmacists and pharmacy support personnel. Applicants are required to submit supporting documents for evaluation by the Pre-registration Committee. Upon approval, applicants who have applied to be registered as pharmacists are required to write a professional examination, prior to their registration as a Pharmacist Intern.
At its July 2023 meeting, Council resolved that:
- Mr Tiisetso Sidwell Mpobole, whose country of origin is Lesotho and whose pharmacy qualification was issued by the National University of Lesotho, be registered as a Pharmacist Intern after successfully completing the Professional Examinations. He will also be required to complete a minimum of twelve (12) months’ internship in an institutional or community pharmacy, and he shall be required to complete the pre-registration evaluation successfully prior to registration as a pharmacist.
- Ms Widyastuti Mukti, whose country of origin is Indonesia and whose pharmacy qualification was issued by Ngudi Waluyo University, be registered as a Pharmacist Intern after successfully completing the Professional Examinations. He will also be required to complete a minimum of twelve (12) months’ internship in an institutional or community pharmacy, and he shall be required to complete the pre-registration evaluation successfully prior to registration as a pharmacist.
- Mr Ahmed Tagelsir Mohamed Ali, whose country of origin is Sudan and whose pharmacy qualification was issued by the University of Gezira, be registered as a Pharmacist Intern after successfully completing the Professional Examinations. He will also be required to complete a minimum of twelve (12) months’ internship in an institutional or community pharmacy, and he shall be required to complete the pre-registration evaluation successfully prior to registration as a pharmacist.
- Ms Aarifa Saifee, whose country of origin is South Africa and whose pharmacy qualification was issued by Parul University, and Ms Tasneem Shaik, whose country of origin is South Africa and whose pharmacy qualification was issued by Andra University be allowed to write the Applied Pharmacy Practice in a Legal Framework paper, and if successful in the paper, be permitted to practise the scope of practice of a Pharmacist’s Assistant (Post-Basic), under the direct personal supervision of a pharmacist in a pharmacy, whilst awaiting the outcome of their curricula evaluation.
- At its October 2023 meeting, Council resolved that:
Subject to the favourable confirmation of a SAQA verification certificate, Mr Bakani Mark Ncube, whose country of origin is Zimbabwe and whose pharmacy qualification was issued by the University of Zimbabwe, be registered as a Pharmacist Intern after successfully completing the Professional Examinations. He will also be required to complete a minimum of twelve (12) months’ internship in an institutional or community pharmacy, and he shall be required to complete the pre-registration evaluation successfully prior to registration as a pharmacist.
Student Disciplinary Action Taken by Higher Education Institutions
The Council received a query from one of the Higher Education Institutions regarding what information is to be shared with Council when disciplinary proceedings are instituted against students registered in the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme.
It was noted that in the case of a pharmacy student’s registration being cancelled or suspended by a university, this must be reported to Council by the university. The student will then be de-registered in terms of Regulation 6 of the Regulations relating to the registration of persons and maintenance of registers.
If a pharmacy student is found guilty of unprofessional conduct by a university, this too must be reported to Council and the report of the disciplinary hearing must be provided by the university. The student will then be disciplined in terms of Chapter V of the Pharmacy Act, 53 of 1974.
Change of Pharmacy Address without Relocation
In terms of Regulation 1(b)(iii) of the Regulations relating to information to be furnished to the Registrar and Regulation 107(2)(g) of the Regulations relating to the registration of persons and maintenance of registers, an owner of a pharmacy must notify the Registrar of the change of address of the pharmacy within 30 days of such change.
The Council has received various submissions from stakeholders stating that when politicians and landlords change street names, town names, municipalities, and shop numbers within a centre, the change is not within the power of the pharmacy owner, and therefore there is a request that Council waive the fee for processing an application for a change of address without relocation.
Council publishes fees payable to Council in terms of the Regulations relating to the fees payable to the South African Council annually, and levies a fee on a cost recovery basis for the application for evaluation of a change of address without relocation and a reduced fee for the recording of the reprinted licence. The current fee (2024) is R8 077,00 for the recording of the licence, which covers the issuing of the three recording certificates, i.e., the owner, the pharmacy and the Responsible Pharmacist recording certificates.
In October 2023, Council resolved that where an owner does not require the recording certificates, a letter confirming the change of address without relocation will be issued at no cost. However, where an owner requires the issuing of the three certificates, the recording fee will be levied.
Accreditation of Short Courses
The Office of the Registrar received an application for the accreditation/approval of a course titled “Registration of Biological and Orthodox Medicine” from Quad Pharma. At its meeting in October 2023, Council resolved that this course be accepted and approved.
The Office of the Registrar received an application for the accreditation/approval of a course titled “Mental health in a pandemic, adult vaccinations, advances in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, urinary tract infections and common ear problems” from Alpha Pharm. At its meeting in October 2023, Council resolved that this course be accepted and approved.
