2023 is a bittersweet year for the Office of the Registrar. The bitterness stems from this being the last year of the 2019-2023 Council term of office, yet we excitedly prepare for the assumption of office by the Council to be constituted by the Honourable Minister of Health before the year is brought to a close.

The Office has just concluded the 2023 Council Elections process for the persons to form part of the Council collective in terms of Section 5(1)(a) of the Pharmacy Act, 53 of 1974, which for the first time, was conducted completely electronically. While the electronic/digital voting has resulted in increased participation by pharmacists, with the voter turnout rate for the 2023 Council Elections at 38,79%, the fact that more than 60% of pharmacists elected not to vote despite the ease of participation and the support provided by the Returning Officer before and throughout the elections process is concerning. The full results of the elections in terms of Regulations 8(3) and 8(4) of the Regulations relating to the election of members of the South African Pharmacy Council, are provided within this issue of the Pharmaciae in this article.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an important element of continuous competence for most professions, Pharmacy is no different. While a lot of practising pharmacists have submitted the required minimum of six (6) CPD entries, some even submitting more than is required, we still have a negligible number of colleagues who are yet to fully comply with the 2023 CPD requirements. 

Failure to comply with CPD requirements results in disciplinary action which often results in avoidable financial penalties and the inability to practise for as long as a pharmacist remains non-compliant. To assist pharmacists to comply with CPD Regulations, we have conducted two CPD Masterclass sessions. Recordings of these, together with tutorials are available through the OfficialSAPC YouTube channel and the SAPC CPD Blog; I call upon all pharmacists to use these resources to ensure a seamless CPD compliance experience. 

Since the last issue of the Pharmaciae, Council’s Committee of Formal Inquiry (CFI) has presided over inquiries into thirteen (13) cases of alleged unprofessional conduct by pharmacy professionals and pharmacy owners. Amongst the sanctions and fines issued by the CFI, five persons were removed from the registers of Council and barred from operating, owning or having a beneficial interest in a pharmacy facility for at least fifteen years. 

Following the promulgation of the Regulations relating to fees payable to South African Pharmacy Council by the Honourable Minister of Health in December 2022, Council has published a board notice in terms of Regulation 3(2) inviting comments from the profession regarding the proposed 2024 fees payable to Council. The Office of the Registrar has processed the comments and will publish the 2024 fees through board notice and the December 2023 issue of this publication, together with important dates for annual fee payment. 

In this issue of the Pharmaciae we present a selection of highlights and updates concerning the activities of Council since the last issue of the Pharmaciae, including Council decisions, changes to legislation, details concerning the findings of the Committee of Formal Inquiry, and internal changes in the Office of Council. We also provide the profession with updates concerning the Pharmacist-Initiated Management of Antiretroviral Therapy (PIMART), the Council Elections for the 2024-2028 Council term, and the performance of candidates in the Pre-Registration Examination, amongst others. We trust that you will find this issue of the Pharmaciae informative, enlightening and interesting.

Mr Vincent Tlala
Registrar/CEO
South African Pharmacy Council