Aurum staff have been living up to this year’s World Pharmacy Day theme; Pharmacists Transforming Global Health, volunteering for national duty at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pharmacist Elna Davies, was one of the “custodians of medicine” who was deployed to the North West Department of Health. She is based at the Rustenburg Clinical Research Site, where she dispenses medication to clinical trial participants. “It was great to get out of the research environment and practice pharmacy in the public sector again. Aurum had the human resource to increase capacity where it was needed most and of course we put up our hands to assist in the national COVID-19 response.” said Davies. She was placed at a sub-district pharmacy in Bojanala which was responsible for supplying 22 clinics and a hospital. This included managing personal protective equipment (PPE), for which there was an extremely high demand as a transmission prevention measure against COVID-19.
Aurum steps up
Due to the demand, PPE was ordered in large quantities and when there was a shortage of storage space, Aurum again stepped up. “We arranged a temporary storage container which was received with much gratitude and quickly filled. We had 9 pharmacist assistant learners whose studies were put on hold because of the COVID-19 lockdown. Since I have previously facilitated this (pharmacist assistance) qualification and was an SAPC (South African Pharmacy Council) registered assessor, I took them under my wing until they resumed their studies. They handled the added responsibility of managing PPE amazingly, I have so much respect for them,” said Davies.
Making a difference
Pharmacist assistant Emilia De Klerk said she was proud to be part of the fight against COVID-19. “Being on the frontlines is stressful but the reward is that I am making a difference. As a health professional, it would not have felt right to sit at home knowing I can be of assistance,” she said. This is the kind of dedication which makes Rustenburg Pharmacy Manager Nisha Naidoo proud of her staff and profession. “My overarching goal is to mentor and motivate our team to be the best we can. We are just a pocket of excellence where leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork drive improvement and self-actualisation,” she added. They are all part of a profession which is in the spotlight this month, Aurum salutes these everyday heroes and acknowledges their role in delivering quality healthcare for all.
