Pharmacy Week 2012

Pharmacy Week (3–9 September 2012)

Towards Quality Care Together

“Know your medicine!”

Click here to download the poster in English
Click here to download the poster in Zulu
Click here to download the poster in Afrikaans
Click here to download the poster in Xhosa
Click here to download the Pharmacy Week flyer (English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa and Sesotho)

This year Pharmacy Week is planned for 3 to 9 September. The South African Pharmacy Council, with the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa, the National Department of Health and Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) as partners, urges the profession to participate enthusiastically in this campaign, and to promote pharmaceutical care to all consumers.

The overall theme, Towards Quality Care Together, will be reinforced in the 2012 Pharmacy Week, with the concerted sub-theme focus that every patient should know their medicines. This also ties in very well with the Department of Health’s national core standards, as well as Council’s vision of ensuring quality pharmaceutical service to all the people in South Africa.

The sub-theme, ‘Know your medicine’, talks directly to the patients to make sure that they know and understand the medicines that are dispensed to them by their pharmacists. Patients have the responsibility to know the What?, Why?, If? and How? of the medicine they are taking before they leave the pharmacy.

Quality Pharmaceutical Service in essence means that:

· The medicine the patient needs is available at all times.

· The patient receives the best choice of medicine for his/her condition.

· Care is taken that the medicine does not harm the patient.

· Information about the medicine is readily available to the patient.

· The patient has the opportunity to talk about his/her medicine, ask the relevant questions, and is assured that his/her privacy is protected.

· Patients can give feedback about their experience in your pharmacy.

Pharmacists are the source of valuable information in terms of the above questions and can provide advice on making the correct health and lifestyle choices. Patients are encouraged to openly talk to their pharmacists about their health matters. Every pharmacy professional is asked to promote this message in their daily interactions with patients, and to make the most of every opportunity to educate and inform consumers about pharmacy.

Posters and flyers carrying this message will be printed and distributed nationwide. Artwork will also be available for downloading on the respective websites. Please share your Pharmacy Week stories with us by sending us your reports and photos to pharmacy.ho@kznhealth.gov.za and elmari.venter@sapc.za.org.

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