Pharmacist of the Year Awarded at Provincial Pharmacy Conference

Western Cape Head of Health, Professor Craig Househam, handed over the Pharmacist of the Year 2012 Award on 24 August 2012 at a gala dinner held at Protea Hotel, Stellenbosch.

Albert Hazekamp, a pharmacist at Eerste River Hospital, received the prestigious award, which provincially recognises excellence in the field of pharmacy within the public sector. Pharmacists working in any sector of the public service could be nominated, including Community Service Pharmacists.

Professor Craig Househam, Western Cape Head of Health, delivered the keynote address at the gala dinner and emphasised the important role that pharmacists play in the multi-disciplinary health sector. He said: "It is an honour to see that pharmacy staff are hard at work and more often than not, they do not receive any recognition from the public for their efforts. Ongoing support from the business sector often makes it easier to cope with the pressures of being a pharmacist. I would like to congratulate all finalists, especially our winners, with this great achievement and wish them the best for the national awards. I sincerely hope that their stories will inspire others to achieve the same heights."

The award nominees were evaluated by a panel of judges, representing Medi-Clinic Southern Africa, the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the National Department of Health and the Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS), according to very specific criteria.

The criteria, which is in line with the criteria for the National Departments of Health's "Excellence in Healthcare Awards", included the following:

Hazekamp came out tops, not only because of his extensive experience, but also because of his ability to overcome challenges by finding practical solutions. Pharmacy services are authorised and encouraged to make use of alternative methods of distribution of medication to overcome the challenge of long waiting times. Hazekamp embraced this concept, changing dispensing practices and opening the pharmacy two hours earlier, thus decreasing patient waiting times from approximately four hours to approximately 15 minutes.

He also implemented a ward-pharmacy system, which encourages interaction between the pharmacist on duty and medical staff, and a strict access control system referred to as the "cage system". This system allows for ward medicine to be organised and securely delivered to the ward.

Over the years, Hazekamp has been involved in many community outreach programmes. He was part of the Boy Scout movement, Junior Red Cross Society and president of the Somerset West Rotary International Club, and supports Hospice, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), Animal Welfare, various feeding schemes and the Aanhouwen Work and Care Centre for mentally handicapped adults.

Hazekamp and the runners-up, Mignonne Johnson, from Oudtshoorn Hospital, and Jannie Voges, from Conville Community Health Centre in George, will be nominated for the 2012 South African Pharmacy Council National Pharmacist of the Year Awards, which will take place later this year.

The gala dinner of the provincial pharmacy conference recognises the value pharmacists contribute to healthcare in the province and formed part of the department's seventh annual provincial pharmacy conference hosted at Protea Hotel Stellenbosch from 24 - 25 August 2012.

The purpose of the conference is to inform and enlighten all pharmacist staff members within the Provincial Department of Health of new developments taking place in the pharmacy sector, both nationally and internationally, and to promote teamwork and the benefits thereof through various information and activity sessions. This incorporates the province's "Better Together" slogan by motivating the implementation of better service delivery across the province.

• Motivation (comprehensive and measurable) - explaining how the nominee has made a quality difference in the pharmacy sector and how it impacted on patients.
• Contribution to the management of burden of disease in South Africa.
• Contribution towards effective team work.
• Contribution towards the community.
• Involvement in the following aspects of professional practice: caregiver, communicator, decision-maker, teacher, life-long learner, leader, manager and researcher.
• No previous history of disciplinary complaints lodged or disciplinary cases pending against the nominee.