Following the conclusion of the 2023 Council Elections and the subsequent constitution of the South African Pharmacy Council in terms of Section 5(7) of the Pharmacy Act, 53 of 1974, by the Honourable Minister of Health, the 25-member-strong team met to finalise the 2024-2028 Council Strategic Plan. This plan was then assented to in principle at the first ordinary Council meeting in February 2024.

Both the National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals call for a universally accessible healthcare system for South Africa, and both instruments set the target date for this envisioned reality as 2030. While the strategic plan of Council ends in 2028, as the Office of Council we see this strategic plan as our Vision 2030 blueprint. We hope that, by helping Council achieve the strategic objectives it has set for the five-year period, we will have helped Pharmacy arrive at a state of readiness to deliver the healthcare hopes and aspirations of the people of South Africa.

The clear definition of the primary healthcare role of the pharmacist, through such programmes as Primary Care Drug Therapy, Immunisation, and Pharmacist-Initiated Therapy, will enable South Africa to meet the various healthcare needs of our people, both in the present moment and in the envisioned near future of universal healthcare coverage.

The Office of Council will continue to operationalise Council’s strategic objectives and track the attainment of such objectives continuously. The support of both the Council and its committees in the review of existing standards and the development of new policy remains among our core objectives.