South Africa is headed for the Guinness Book of Records; achievement:
extinction of the pharmacist! Community/Retail pharmacies are closing
down. Pharmacists are emigrating, enrolment for Pharmacy has
significantly gone down in universities. Other undergraduate students
have changed courses. The business climate set up by the Minister of
Health has left final year students with no hope of life in S. Africa.
Four years seem to have gone down the drain. Study four years and earn
less than someone who did courses less taxing! That is what is on offer
for the Pharmacist in South Africa. All because they failed to
understand the difference between gross profit and mark-up in devising
new pricing regulations. They go on to say that no pharmacy has closed
because of this. Maybe they meant government hospital pharmacies
because just around ANY corner community pharmacies are closing. The
Pricing issue is now in the hands of the constitutional court after
Government appealed against the pharmacists victory in the supreme
court.