September is Pharmacy Month. In the past year, pharmacies at City facilities have dispensed more than 6 million medicine parcels to just over 1,5 million people on chronic medication, and their message this month is to know the do’s and don’ts of your daily doses.
‘I want to commend our pharmacists and the many support staff who work tirelessly to ensure that clients go home with the correct, life-saving medication. I don’t think we appreciate their efforts enough, perhaps because they are not necessarily always in full view on the frontline. But I applaud these medical professionals for their contribution to building safer communities, by ensuring that clinical prescriptions are correctly evaluated, medication is properly dispensed and directions for use are understood by all patients. A diagnosis is one thing, but a proper treatment plan, including timeous and reliable access to medication, is critical, and we couldn’t do it without our pharmacists,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia Van der Ross.
Apart from dispensing medicine, the City’s pharmacists also have the responsibility of ensuring that medication in their care is stored correctly, and properly accounted for.
This includes vaccines and other medications requiring refrigeration.
In recent years, City Health has introduced an electronic temperature monitoring system that allows pharmacists to remotely monitor the temperatures of refrigerators to ensure that the cold chain is preserved.
Staff also pre-package medication for chronic patients, to reduce waiting times when they have to refill their prescriptions.
Over the last six months, City Health pharmacists issued just over 26 000 medicines parcels to patients via home deliveries and alternate pick up points – all in an effort to improve the medicine collection experience.
PERSONAL MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
In terms of medication management, there is concern that the public doesn’t always fully understand the importance of taking medication only as prescribed.
When medication is dispensed, it usually comes with certain instructions including when to take it, whether it needs to be taken before or after a meal, and whether there are adverse effects like drowsiness.
The public is advised to take cognisance of the following:
- Medication is meant to be absorbed into the body – at times, the absorption is aided by the presence of food in the stomach, and sometimes, an empty stomach works best, hence the advice to take it with meals, or not
- Take your medication exactly as prescribed; learn the names and adverse effects as explained by your pharmacist
- Do not share medication with anyone, even if they have the same condition – each person’s physiological make up is unique, and taking medication without a doctor’s consultation and prescription could be harmful
- Monitor your chronic medication closely, to ensure you do not run out or miss your follow up appointments
- Keep medication out of reach of children and pets
- Make sure medication is always properly labelled and stored, to mitigate the risk of taking the wrong medication
- When medication has expired or it is unused, return it to your nearest pharmacy – do not dispose of it in your household waste
- Finish the course of medication, as prescribed and explained by your pharmacist – particularly if you are on antibiotics or TB treatments
‘We also need to caution the public against buying medication, whether the over the counter variety, or prescription medication, from just anyone that is not a registered pharmacist. By law, one requires a license to sell medicine in South Africa, and there is a reason for this regulation – public safety. And even if you are buying over the counter medication for a seemingly simple ailment, these too need to be taken with care, especially if you have pre-existing conditions. Read the labels, read them carefully and if you’re unsure, visit your local pharmacy for advice, or speak to the pharmacist on your next visit to the clinic. We don’t often realise it, but it could very well be the difference between life and death,’ said Councillor Van der Ross.
