A group of unemployed pharmacists has given the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health two weeks to unfreeze vacant posts and absorb them after completing community service.
They marched to the department’s offices in Pietermaritzburg on Monday, February 3, demanding that the provincial government create at least 100 pharmacy vacancies in public healthcare facilities and hire them.
The group delivered a memorandum of demands and gave the provincial health department until 14 February to respond.
In their memorandum, the pharmacists said before 2015, nearly all pharmacists transitioned smoothly from community service to public sector roles, ensuring a robust pharmaceutical workforce.
However, in recent years there has been a sharp decline in job placements despite increasing public sector demands where 84% of the population relies on public health services.
They added that the public sector’s shortage of pharmacists exacerbates medication errors, increases healthcare costs, and contributes to higher patient mortality rates, particularly in managing antimicrobial resistance.
The aggrieved pharmacists further told the department that the investment in training and discarding them is at risk of being wasteful expenditure unless their expertise is promptly utilized within the public healthcare system.
“To address this crisis, we call on the KZN Department of Health to take the following actions: Post-Community Service Pharmacists: Fair hiring practices to ensure that post-community service pharmacists are placed within government healthcare facilities in their respective districts to fill critical staffing shortages.
“Unfreeze Vacant Positions: Speed up advertising and filling of all frozen pharmacist posts in public health institutions to meet healthcare demands. Sustain Continuous Employment Cycles: Replenish vacant posts caused by promotions, resignations, or retirements with qualified pharmacists completing their community service,” reads the memorandum they submitted to the department.
They also also asked the department to revise the healthcare budget to prioritize the recruitment of pharmacists, given their critical role in improving healthcare outcomes.
“Address Workforce Inequities: Deploy pharmacists to under-served areas, ensuring equitable access to pharmaceutical services across all districts. Shortage of Pharmacists in Public institutions: We require at least 100 posts in KwaZulu-Natal to effectively address issues related to Unemployed Pharmacists.”
The group of marchers then gave the department two weeks to respond.
“We request a formal response from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health by 14 February 2025, detailing specific measures and timelines for addressing this issue.
“The inclusion of post-community service pharmacists in public sector roles is essential for safeguarding the health and well-being of millions of South Africans and ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system.”
However, the marchers did not indicate what cause of action they would take should the government fail to respond. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health was not immediately available to comment. It has previously stated that it had no budget to hire new staff, including medical practitioners.
