{"id":39983,"date":"2025-09-26T10:46:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=39983"},"modified":"2025-09-26T10:46:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:46:36","slug":"pharmacists-demand-equal-treatment-call-for-reform-in-health-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/26\/pharmacists-demand-equal-treatment-call-for-reform-in-health-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"Pharmacists demand equal treatment, call for reform in health sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

South Sudanese pharmacists have called for equal treatment, fair pay, and greater recognition of their role in the health sector, warning that continued marginalization undermines healthcare delivery.<\/p>\n

During an event marking the World Pharmacists\u2019 Day, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel under the global theme \u201cThink Health, Think Pharmacist,\u201d<\/em> the pharmacists spotlighted systemic disparities that continue to undermine their role in the country\u2019s healthcare system.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the event which brought together health professionals, government officials, and development partners to reflect on the challenges facing the pharmacy profession, Dr. Simon Gore, Chairperson of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Sudan led a passionate appeal to government, private sector, and fellow professionals to address longstanding marginalization.<\/p>\n

He decried what he described as systemic discrimination in employment and remuneration noting that in the Health System Transformation Project (HSTP), pharmacists are classified alongside non-medical staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cPharmacy technicians with diplomas are earning only 56 dollars a month, while clinical officers take home 300 dollars. Many institutions both public and private don\u2019t employ pharmacists or pharmacy technicians at all. This unequal treatment must end,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n

Dr. Simon further lamented that pharmacists are often excluded from decision-making despite their expertise in drug quantification, supply chain planning, and ensuring patient safety.<\/p>\n

WHO\u2019s Technical Officer for Essential Medicines and Technologies, Fred Kitutu, underscored the need to harness pharmacists\u2019 expertise to strengthen healthcare in South Sudan. \u201cPharmacy professionals are a vital resource that must be fully utilized,\u201d Kitutu said, pointing to Uganda\u2019s expansion of public pharmacies from 10 to nearly 100 facilities in two decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouth Sudan can learn from such growth, but this requires institutional support and collaboration across all sectors,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zachariah Ajak, Chairman of the South Sudan Doctors\u2019 Union, echoed concerns over unequal treatment and low salaries, noting that South Sudanese health workers are among the lowest paid in East Africa. \u201cSouth Sudanese health workers are among the lowest paid in the region compared to their colleagues in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. We must collectively push for fair compensation and inclusive training opportunities that also empower pharmacists,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

He also emphasized legal vulnerabilities facing health workers, with calls for legislation to protect them from arbitrary detention and urged the government to increase the national health budget from its current 1.1% to at least 3\u20135%, in line with the Abuja Declaration.<\/p>\n

From a regulatory standpoint, Dr. Peter Aguek, Director General for Inspection and Surveillance in the Drug and Food Control Authority, emphasized the critical role pharmacists play in safeguarding public health. \u201cPharmacists are part and parcel of decision-making on vaccines and medicines. They approve what goes to the market and what people consume,\u201d Dr. Aguek stating adding, \u201cWe need to see how to pay them well for the responsibility they shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants also urged the government to raise health budget allocations, provide office space for pharmacists in health institutions, and include them in policy and planning processes. The private sector was called upon to employ qualified pharmacists and technicians to guarantee quality care.<\/p>\n

The celebration concluded with a united vision to elevate the pharmacy profession through collaboration, infrastructure, and policy reform. As Dr. Gore affirmed, \u201cThink health, think pharmacists\u201d must become more than a slogan; it must guide South Sudan\u2019s path to equitable and effective healthcare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement South Sudanese pharmacists have called for equal treatment, fair pay, and greater recognition of their role in the health sector, warning that continued marginalization undermines healthcare delivery. During an event marking the World Pharmacists\u2019 Day, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel under the global theme \u201cThink Health,[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":39984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-2","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Pharmacy.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39985,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39983\/revisions\/39985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}