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Pharmacy Act, 1974 (Act No. 53 of 1974)

Board Notices

Pharmacists providing Family Planning Services (Reproductive Health Services)

Part 2: Competency Standards for Pharmacists who provides Family Planning Services (Reproductive Health Services)

2. Background

 

Pharmacists have a professional and social responsibility to educate the public on sexual and reproductive health matters and contribute to efforts aimed at the improvement of fertility and prevention of unplanned pregnancies by improving access to family planning services. Pharmacists are well placed and accessible to provide advice on contraception, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause and prescribe medicines for contraception. The pharmacy is a stigma-free environment that is frequented by the public for other goods and services, thus making it easy for individuals to seek confidential and professional assistance from the pharmacist on matters such as termination of pregnancy services and sexual and gender-based violence. Pharmacists are ideally positioned to assist in addressing these needs. It is recommended that the following package of services be available to all individuals requesting access to family planning services:

 

(a) Reproductive Health Counselling

 

(b) Hormonal and non-hormonal contraception

 

(c) Condoms and lubricants

 

(d) Fertility screening and referral

 

(e) Pregnancy screening

 

(f) Emergency post-coital contraception (EPC)