In South Africa, the first non-dispensing pharmacy activities like total parenteral nutrition, therapeutic drug monitoring, and oncology admixing services started in the early 1990s and represented the forerunner of clinical pharmacy. Pharmacists with or without formal training in clinical pharmacy performed these functions at a few institutions, mainly in the major cities around the country. The first master’s degree programs in clinical pharmacy commenced in 1993. The University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus) and the University of the Witwatersrand have been offering clinical pharmacy master’s degrees since 1993 and Rhodes University, a Pharm.D. degree since 2004 (Table). Although several students have graduated from these programs, the development of clinical pharmacy was very sporadic because no formal positions for clinical pharmacists existed in either the private or the public health care institutions. The introduction of antimicrobial stewardship programs in 2010 in private-sector hospitals has sparked new interest in clinical pharmacy. Private hospitals created clinical pharmacy positions to manage stewardship programs. About 100 pharmacists are currently providing antimicrobial stewardship, and only 10 are providing general clinical pharmacy services as their primary responsibility (South African Society of Clinical Pharmacy, unpublished data, 2014).

In 2010, the South African Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SASOCP; www.sasocp.co.za) was formed in response to this resurgent interest in clinical pharmacy. The objectives of SASOCP are:

• To promote the practice of clinical pharmacy
• To promote the interests of clinical pharmacists
• To provide a platform for clinical pharmacists’ viewpoints and networking
• To develop and provide clinical pharmacy practice guidelines
• To provide clinical pharmacy continuing professional development and education
• To promote research in clinical pharmacy
• To enable clinical pharmacy capacity building in teaching and practice institutions

Through its branches, SASOCP achieves these objectives by organizing regular continuing education meetings and workshops, as well as an annual conference in June of each year. Currently, SASOCP has five active branches—two in Gauteng Province, one in the North West Province, one in Cape Town, and one in Port Elizabeth. Antimicrobial stewardship, cardiovascular, and psychiatry workshops have been held thus far for pharmacists interested in clinical pharmacy.

The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), the statutory body, is in the process of recognizing clinical pharmacy as an area of specialization. The proposed requirements are at least a master’s degree in clinical pharmacy, followed by a 2-year residency program and a preregistration examination. The requirements have not been finalized, but more information on this process should be available by June 2014. The lack of experienced clinical pharmacists to mentor young pharmacists in clinical practice remains the major stumbling block to the growth of clinical pharmacy, particularly in the non-infectious diseases areas. Enthusiasm and interest in clinical pharmacy are rapidly expanding; however, the specialty is still in its infancy in South Africa, with a lack of expertise and human resources. The next step toward promoting clinical pharmacy in South Africa would be to support education and training for clinical pharmacists to ensure safe and effective medicine use.

Table: Master’s and Pharm.D. Degree Programs Offered in South Africa

Opinions, judgments, and data expressed or implied in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the policy or position of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy provides no warranty regarding their accuracy or reliability.