Why pharmacist assistants matter in last mile medicine delivery
Bridging the gap: Why pharmacist assistants matter in last mile medicine delivery
The study was funded by ARC, Africa’s public health supply chain institution, and undertaken by Dr Sibusiso Memory Zuma from the University of South Africa.
The mixed method study found that in the surveyed clinics, those with pharmacist assistants could maintain a stock availability average of 95%. In contrast, those without pharmacist assistants had an average medicine availability percentage of 88%.
The mixed method study found that in the surveyed clinics, those with pharmacist assistants could maintain a stock availability average of 95%. In contrast, those without pharmacist assistants had an average medicine availability percentage of 88%.
One of the district pharmaceutical services managers who participated in the study explained that the absence of a “dedicated” person to manage stock and place orders resulted in a lower availability percentage.
Crucially, where there were no pharmacist assistants at a facility, nurses took responsibility for ordering and managing medicine stock supply. This then decreased the nurse’s capacity to provide healthcare services to patients.
What are pharmacist assistants?
Pharmacist assistants are mid-level healthcare workers who work under the direct and indirect supervision of licensed pharmacists at hospitals, clinics and retail stores.
One study participant explained, “The pharmacist assistants understand the ordering process for essential medicines, making the medicine ordering process smooth in the clinics.” This was corroborated by the finding that primary healthcare facilities with pharmacist assistants could also maintain consistent medicine availability reporting on the stock visibility system.
In some health facilities with pharmacist assistants, the study found that the pharmacist assistants worked together to develop innovative, informal networks to redistribute medicines to meet demand across the different healthcare facilities in their district.
Training pharmacist assistants is less costly than developing senior-level pharmacists. This means that this solution can be deployed with relative speed and have a marked impact on medicine access for patients.
To improve compliance with medicines standards, the South African government has begun appointing pharmacist assistants to oversee the provision of essential medicines; however, provinces have struggled to ensure that all primary healthcare facilities have at least one assistant.
This study shows just how vital these mid-level healthcare workers are. Work is now underway to motivate for phased permanent employment of at least one basic pharmacist assistant post per clinic in South Africa to the provincial chief directors of health.
