Washington, DC, January 19, 2017 – Mid-level health workers are in high demand, yet short supply as South Africa works to meet its rapidly increasing needs for health and allied care professionals. Pharmacy services are no exception, which makes pharmacists – and pharmacy technicians – integral members of multidisciplinary health teams. They play a critical role not only in the procurement and supply of medications, but also in developing evidence-based care plans; establishing ongoing and supportive relationships with patients; and providing follow-up care, advice, and support to improve health outcomes.
Click here [insert link: https://www.frontlinehealthworkers.org/blog/celebrating-community-level-pharmacy-technicians] to read the blog and learn more about AIHA’s pharmacy technician training partnership and what graduates from the program at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) are doing to help improve access to care at the community level.
The partnership linking NMMU with the St. Louis College of Pharmacy is managed by AIHA’s HIV/AIDS Twinning Center Program, which operates through a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration(HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Funding for the project is provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in South Africa in support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Since 1992, AIHA has been working with host country governments, donors, and other key national and international stakeholders to address critical public health issues such as HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, maternal and child health, primary healthcare, emergency medicine, and a broad range of health professions education and development. Our comprehensive, multi-pillar approach to health system strengthening has enabled AIHA to achieve sustainable outcomes through more than 175 partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.