City of Johannesburg mayor, Herman Mashaba has officially opened the newly upgraded City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Council pharmacy in Langlaagte, Johannesburg.
Mashaba said that the pharmacy has previously supplied 82 local government clinics with medicines and surgical sundries. He added that it was upgraded through the Corridors of Freedom to fast track supply.
“The newly upgraded pharmacy now provides pharmaceutical services to all 78 Clinics in the City of Johannesburg. It also provides for 27 Provincial Clinics as well as 70 private providers which assist clinics with family planning and immunization since the integration in 2015”, said Mashaba.
Health and Social Development MMC Mpho Phalatse said the pharmacy provides acute, chronic, family planning and immunisation services. She added that the services are in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Expanded Programme Immunisation (EPI) recommendations.
“Between April 2017 and March 2018, 63 298 of people knowing their HIV-positive status were initiated on ART and 328 471 remained on treatment in the City. This pharmacy plays a role by ensuring that all people diagnosed with HIV infection receives sustained antiretroviral therapy. 90% of them attain viral suppression”, she said.
Phalatse added that a total of 72,650 out of 90,575 (80.2%) children under the 1 year were fully immunised in 2016/17. In 2017/18, the immunisation coverage increased to 77,738 (83.2%) of 93,402 (84.7%) as at February. This was done as part of improving immunisation coverage.
“The roles of pharmacists are evolving along with an ever-changing healthcare environment. It is a greater focus to reduce cost of care and improve health outcomes. The pharmacy continuously trains Pharmacists’ Assistants as a path to polish the quality of services within the craft in partnership with the Witkoppen Community Health Care. In 2017/18 the Pharmacy trained four Post Basic Pharmacist Assistants and one of them was placed at Hikhensile Clinic, while three were are at the pharmacy”, said Phalatse.
She went on to say that currently, there are 15 Basic Pharmacist Assistants undergoing Post Basic Training, which will be completed in July 2019.
