Registered nurses are allowed to dispense medicines in the Public Sector

Issued by the Department of Health

23 June 2005

The Department of Health would like to correct the perception created by the media that the provisions of the Medicines and Related Substances Act that require a health professional to have a valid dispensing licence in order to dispense scheduled medicines, is bound to cause chaos and backlogs in public hospitals.

We would like to reassure the public that it is not true, as projected by the media this week, that the dispensing of schedule medicines is only restricted to pharmacists, and that patients who visit the hospital at night would be unable to get medication because of the provisions.

Section 38A of the Nursing Act allows any registered nurse who is in the service of the Department of Health a provincial administration, a local authority or any organisation performing any health service and authorised by the Director General of Health to perform the following duties:

• the physical examination of any person
• the diagnosing of any physical defect, illness or deficiency in any person
• the keeping of prescribed medicines and the supply, administering or prescribing of such medicines
• the promotion of family planning

These special provisions relating to certain nurses, further indicate that such a nurse may perform such act only whenever the services of a medical practitioner or pharmacist, as the circumstances may require, are not available.

The Director General has already sent out a letter clarify the position regarding nurses and dispensing licenses and the requirements to comply with the Pharmacy Act. He has also delegated authority to provinces to allow nurses to perform the said duties.

All health workers who issue or dispense medicines should be adequately trained for what they do. Nurses in the public sector may complete a dispensing course and may be issued with a dispensing licence, but those who provide personal primary health care services and issue pre-packed medication to their patients, or dispense medicines, do not need licenses to dispense provided that each nurse employed to provide such a service has a letter, signed on behalf of the Head of the Department, authorising them to provide the service in terms of Section 38A of the Nursing Act.

Contact: Charity Bhengu 083 679 7424 or (012) 312 0420.