Healthy Life
Benhilda Jaji, a pharmacist at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, explains how these highly qualified professionals contribute to safe and effective patient care.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
At Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, our pharmacy has both retail and hospital sections, although most prescriptions come from our in-house doctors. On an average day, we dispense between 450 and more than 700 items.
Besides dispensing, what other services do you provide to patients?
We use integrated systems to see each patient’s medical history and the medicines they’ve been prescribed during past hospital admissions. This helps us quickly identify any possible harmful interactions between medicines, so treatment is safe and effective.
If there’s a concern, we speak directly with the doctor to suggest adjustments for optimal therapy. We also manage the surgical inventory, such as stoma products, dressings, and other specialised supplies.
What is the key focus for pharmacists?
One of our top priorities is ensuring that antibiotics are prescribed correctly. We work with doctors on ward rounds to review prescriptions, making sure they treat the right infection and follow best-practice guidelines.
Usually, doctors start with first-line antibiotics and monitor infection signs daily. In urgent cases, like severe sepsis, they may begin with broad antibiotics before lab results come back. Once the results are in, we help decide whether to continue or adjust treatment, often suggesting a switch to a more targeted or first-line antibiotic.
How do you collaborate with doctors and other healthcare professionals?
We have a good, open working relationship with our medical colleagues. For example, if a patient can eat and take medicine by mouth but is still on intravenous (IV) treatment, we can suggest switching from IV to oral (by mouth). This can help shorten hospital stays, lower costs, and reduce the risk of infections.
With five pharmacists on the team, each one participates in ward rounds every three months. The other pharmacists switch between dispensing in hospital, in retail, and delivering schedule 5 and 6 (high risk) medicines to the wards.
What protocols are in place to ensure medication safety?
When we dispense medicine, we ensure that it’s for the right patient by checking their details and scanning their sticker, which helps prevent mistakes. We give the correct medicine, and if it’s a generic version, we show the generic name. We also check that the dose, how often it’s taken, and the method of taking it are correct.
Medication safety isn’t just about giving the right medicine; it’s also about making sure patients understand and follow their treatment. That’s why patient counselling is so important. We explain the correct dose, timing, and strength of each medicine, go over possible side-effects, and tell patients what to do if any occur.
An important part of our job is helping patients adhere to their treatment. Patients need to understand why finishing the full course, especially antibiotics, is crucial to prevent drug resistance, the illness reoccurring, or possible treatment failure. We also share tips to help them take their medicine regularly, like setting phone reminders, linking doses to daily routines, or using pill organisers.
What does it take to be a good pharmacist?
Be prepared to never stop learning. This career is a combination of science, knowledge of medication, and responsibility. You're responsible for making sure you’re giving medication in a safe manner.
Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre is renowned for its specialised services, including performing liver transplants that give patients a second chance at life. As part of the hospital team, pharmacists help make sure all treatments, from complex transplant medicines to routine prescriptions, are safe, effective, and suited to each patient’s needs.
It’s a very rewarding profession. When I see a patient walking out of hospital, it’s wonderful to know I was part of their recovery journey. As pharmacists, we play a key role in ensuring that every patient receives safe and effective treatment.
What qualifications do pharmacists need?
It takes six years to become a fully registered pharmacist. You need to complete a four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, followed by a one-year internship and a year’s community service. We also register with the South African Pharmacy Council.