"The atmosphere at many hospitals suggests that a large percentage of the pharmacists currently employed by the Department of Health will seek employment in the private sector or overseas" - Thanushya Pillaye.

Pharmacists and pharmacist's assistants at various public sector facilities have recently voiced their dissatisfaction, frustration and anger with the delay in implementation of the Occupation Specific Dispensation for pharmacists. The way in which they have done this varies, ranging from strike action to protesting, picketing and down-scaling of services.

According to Thanushya Pillaye, Vice President of the South African Association of Hospital and Institutional Pharmacists (SAAHIP), emotions are running high amongst pharmacy personnel. "The  atmosphere at many hospitals suggests that a large percentage of the pharmacists currently employed by the Department of Health will seek employment in the private sector or overseas, both of which offer better working conditions. The long-term repercussions of this would be far worse than merely striking or withholding services," she says.

While it may appear to the public that pharmacists and pharmacist's assistants have accepted the situation and remained silent, it must be noted that many have in fact been protesting alongside doctors during their lunch breaks. These pharmacists and pharmacist's assistants felt it important to use the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with what has been offered to them.

Pharmacists have been in constant communication with their unions and professional bodies. In particular, mandates and memoranda have been submitted  to the Department of Health and the relevant unions.  

One example of areas already affected by the scarcity of pharmacists is the antiretroviral (ARV) rollout programme. Some SAAHIP member have reported that their institutions have halted initiation of patients onto ARVs as a result of a shortage of pharmacists. Further shortages of pharmacists will exacerbate the already critical situation. The ARV plan is very dependent on sufficient pharmacists for both logistical and clinical services. Many sites have struggled to get accreditation because of a lack of pharmacy personnel.

Pharmacist's assistants have been ignored and exploited since the late 1980s, when the first South African Pharmacy Council-offered training courses were made available. They have only now been afforded the status they deserve. It is therefore important that they should be paid appropriately, which the OSD was believed to address.

SAAHIP is a professional organisation, and is a sector of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA). It is not a union and therefore cannot participate in the Bargaining Council. SAAHIP has advised its members of the correct channels of communication to follow when forwarding demands/giving input with respect to the OSD negotiations.

Pillaye continued, "It is very difficult to negotiate with an entity that changes the rules of the game. The change in the due date for the OSD implementation was bad enough, but this has been compounded because the issue of back-pay was ignored."

Other human resource issues, that predate the OSD, have not been addressed and are worsening. These include inadequate post structures,  especially in previous homeland areas, a high numbers of unfilled posts that are simply no longer advertised, and the need for, and demand for, extended hours of pharmacy service, coupled with the application of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) maximum when calculating overtime. The overtime pay is not sustainable or equitable and it is unrealistic and unreasonable to expect employees to work after-hours for less per hour than they are paid during the day.

In July 2007, an agreement was reached in the Public Sector Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) announced that pharmacists, together with doctors, dentists and emergency care practitioners, were to receive the OSD from 2008. Pharmacists have now been informed that they will not receive the anticipated back pay from 1 July 2008. This adds to pharmacists' perception that the employer is not negotiating in good faith.

It is of great concern to SAAHIP that the State has failed to comply with the laws that were passed post-1994 in order to ensure that the poor are given the same protection as the rich. The Pharmacy Act 53 of 1974 and the Medicines and Related Substance Act 101 of 1965 have now been applicable to the State for some time, yet there are still unregistered facilities that fail to meet environmental standards for the safe storage of medicines, including almost all of the provincial depots. This is unacceptable to pharmacists who try to fulfill their professional obligations under sub-optimal conditions.

"SAAHIP will continue to monitor the OSD situation, and to urge pharmacists to stay focused and to seek guidance from quarters that are constructive and progressive," concluded Pillaye.

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