Health Care and Pharmacy Practice in South Africa.
INTRODUCTION South Africa is a large (about 1.2 million km2), upper middle income country located at the southern tip of the African continent. The 2014 midyear estimate of the total population was just over 54 million, of whom 80.2% self-identified as Black Africans.1 South Africa underwent a fundamental political transition to democracy in 1994, with the demise of the racially segregated apartheid system. In the years since then, there has been an ongoing process of reform in all areas, including in relation to the organization and delivery of health care. The organization, financing, and delivery of pharmaceutical services have also been subject to significant changes in this period. This paper describes the background and current position of pharmacy in South Africa, with particular reference to reforms that are still underway and those that are anticipated. In many ways, and in particular with regard to the delivery of hospital pharmacy services, pharmacy reform can still be regarded as a work in progress. The paper is arranged according to the “building blocks” outlined in the World Health Organization’s Health Systems Framework.2