THE sudden withdrawal of support for pharmacists in KZN is nothing short of reckless.
This is what the South African Young Pharmacist Association said after the KZN Department of Health revealed there are no funds for placement of pharmacists' interns.
They said they are unhappy every time there's an issue of unemployment, young pharmacists are the ones who are certain to be cut off first, and the "No Funding" reason doesn't seem to apply to other components such as that of medical officers.
Association of Young Pharmacists spokesman Luyanda Khumalo said this situation threatens the survival of the pharmacy profession and directly undermines the quality of pharmaceutical services received by the public.
"The reason why KZN is particularly concerning is that it has long been acknowledged that some provinces offer limited internship and community service placements. However, this was previously offset by the capacity of more populous provinces to absorb graduates," he said.
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Khumalo said KZN has historically been central in developing and integrating young pharmacists into the healthcare system. Hence the sudden withdrawal of this support is nothing short of reckless, especially in a healthcare system that is already crippled by understaffing and frozen posts, where interns and community service pharmacists have been essential to keeping services running.
"Therefore, we urge the KZN Department of Health and other affected provinces to urgently address this matter, not only in the interests of the unemployed pharmacist interns, but for the benefit of the public who depend on the essential services they would provide," he said.
In a statement, the KZN department of Health said it noted, with understanding, deep concerns and numerous enquiries from pharmacist interns and other health professional interns regarding their placements for this financial year.
The department said it is battling financial difficulties and can't meet some of its objectives because of budget cuts.
"We hear your anxiety. We recognise your eagerness to contribute to our healthcare system and the critical role you are trained to play. Your distress is not lost on us."
It said the current reality is one of severe financial limitations. While the department is fully committed to training the next generation of health professionals, the available funding from the provincial fiscus is acutely constrained.
"As a result, we have only been able to secure placements for medical interns and community service personnel at this time," read the statement.
"This difficult decision stems from a simple, unavoidable principle: we cannot spend what we do not have. The exclusion of other categories is a matter of fiscal reality, not a measure of their value or importance to our health system.
"We want to assure all affected interns that this is not a permanent closure. The department is actively pursuing every possible avenue to source additional financial resources. We are committed to this, and as soon as the fiscal situation improves, the inclusion of pharmacist interns and other health professional interns will be an absolute priority."
