Reimagining SA’s pharmacy education to heed the burden of disease
- Beth Amato, Wits Faculty of Health Sciences
Wits pharmacy expert is calling for a rethink of pharmacy education, advocating for leaner, integrated curricula that better prepare graduates for South Africa
Pharmacy education needs to be reimagined to remain relevant to South Africa's unique challenges by eliminating redundant course material and integrating disciplines to deliver instruction that mirrors critical healthcare challenges.
Delivering a recent webinar hosted by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Professor Lisa du Toit, Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Senior researcher at the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP) and director of the SAMRC/Wits CENTRIC research unit, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Wits University, expanded on "deprescribing" — a process observed by medical practitioners to reduce unnecessary medications — to instead reduce student subject loads while increasing real-world relevance.
Deprescribing the curriculum
“Rather than focusing on the volume of information students can memorise, pharmacy students need to be equipped for a future in which they must deal with the country’s quadruple burden of disease, while keeping pace with developments such as artificial intelligence, digital health and advanced therapeutics,” explains du Toit.
South Africa’s quadruple burden of disease refers to infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health challenges, and trauma and violence.
From subject overload to real-world readiness
South African pharmacy studies remain constrained by a fixed four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, regulatory requirements and heavy student workloads. However, as a central theme of the webinar, du Toit recommended moving from the content-heavy "just-in-case" model of education to a "just-in-time" competency-based approach.
Instead of continually adding new subjects, educators should seek opportunities to integrate disciplines. Educators should ask whether material remains relevant to contemporary South African practice, whether it is duplicated elsewhere in the curriculum, and whether it contributes to clinical decision-making. Content can then be categorised as essential, overly detailed, redundant or outdated.
“For example, clinical pharmacy, pharmacology and pharmaceutical chemistry could be integrated and aligned at points in the curriculum through case-based teaching that mirrors real-world healthcare challenges. Instead of emphasising rote memorisation of chemical structures in pharmaceutical chemistry, education should focus on how molecular properties influence clinical outcomes. Similarly, microbiology teaching could shift from detailed taxonomy toward antimicrobial stewardship and resistance patterns relevant to South Africa,” she said.
A competency-based shift
Overloaded curricula and, in some areas, outdated and misaligned teaching have prompted reforms by the South African Pharmacy Council, which introduced an integrated competency-based curriculum outline for pharmacy education in 2026.
Competency-based education prioritises knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required for effective professional practice. The goal is to free students from excessive workloads while strengthening their ability to apply scientific knowledge in clinical settings.
The framework seeks to balance foundational scientific knowledge with evolving professional needs, while ensuring consistency in graduate competencies across the country.
The next step is to align learning material with key competencies such as patient-centred care, clinical reasoning and public health needs.
Preparing pharmacists for AI and digital health
Artificial intelligence is also beginning to reshape the profession, creating opportunities for personalised learning, clinical-decision support and new approaches to patient care.
However, du Toit cautioned that technological innovation in the South African context needs to be balanced against concerns about infrastructure, digital literacy, and equitable access.
du Toit outlined a practical framework for curriculum deprescribing that begins with a systematic audit of course content.
“Curriculum deprescribing is ultimately about ensuring that pharmacy graduates remain scientifically grounded, while also becoming clinically competent, ethically aware and responsive to society's health needs,” says du Toit.