Today, 20 March 2019, we officially opened the newly upgraded City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Council Pharmacy. The Pharmacy, which previously supplied 82 local government clinics with medicines and surgical sundries was upgraded through the Corridors of Freedom to fast track supply.
I was joined by MMC for Health and Social Development, Cllr Mpho Phalatse and the Region B leadership.
The newly upgraded facility now provides pharmaceutical services to all 78 Clinics in the City of Johannesburg and 27 Provincial Clinics, as well as 70 private providers who assist clinics with family planning and immunization since the integration in 2015.
The pharmacy provides acute, chronic, family planning and immunization services that are in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) recommendations.
The City is part of the Fast Track Cities who have been heavily affected by the epidemic and are at the forefront of responding to HIV.
MMC Phalatse revealed today that between April 2017 and March 2018, 63 298 of people who know their HIV-positive status were initiated on ART and 328 471 remained on treatment in the City of Johannesburg.
This could have not been achieved without the services of the pharmacy who play an innate role in ensuring that all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and that 90% of these attain viral suppression.
As part of improving immunization coverage, a total of 72,650 out of 90,575 (80.2%) children under 1 years old were fully immunized in 2016/17. In 2017/18, the immunisation coverage increased to 83.2% (77,738 of 93,402) and to 84.7% (53,439 of 94,691) as at February 2019.
Today, the roles of pharmacists are evolving, along with an ever-changing healthcare environment, which is spurred on by a greater focus to reduce cost of care and improve health outcomes. In doing so, 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 Centre.
In 2017/18 the Pharmacy trained four Post Basic Pharmacist Assistants and one was placed at Hikhensile Clinic, Region A and three at the pharmacy.
Currently there are 15 Basic Pharmacist Assistants undergoing the Post Basic Training that will be completed in July 2019. Of the 15, seven will be placed in City clinics across every region and eight at the pharmacy.
For media queries:
Dominic Mahlangu (Strategic Advisor)
Office of the MMC – Health and Social Development
Tel: (011) 407 6832
Mobile: 0827517791 / 0812303299
E-mail: dominicm@joburg.org.za
Or
Chantelle Fourie-Shawe
Media Specialist: Office of the Executive Mayor
chantellef@joburg.org.za
081 546 1014
