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

The rationale is to train advanced-level clinical pharmacists who can register with Council as specialists and contribute to capacity building in the field of clinical pharmacy as well as create specialists in the field of pharmacy, for the advancement of health care in South Africa in line with Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Additionally, according to Van Mil (2004) “if we want to try to prove that the structured provision of pharmaceutical care has an effect on outcomes, we must first of all make sure that the care provided matches the needs of the patients in that specific health system”.

Historically, the role of the pharmacist, regardless of the health setting, was to ensure prompt and efficient medicine supply, adequate stock, accurate dispensing, compounding, storage and transport, and to ensure that medicines are easily accessible to patients who need them. The pharmacist is also responsible for the selection of medicines, dosage forms, and monitoring of patient compliance.

Clinical pharmacists are required to understand the provision of pharmaceutical care that matches the patient’s specific health needs. These pharmacists focus on disease prevention and treatment, including evidence-based medicine use and related care that improve both short and long-term outcomes for patients.

The competency standards have been developed to encompass the changes and developments including new technologies, work processes, changes in legislation and international trends. This is to primarily ensure the production and promotion of prudent and proper medicine usage and pharmaceutical care, in both the patient's and the public's best interests.