SAAHIP:  THE EARLY YEARS

PRESENTATION AT 34th SAAHIP CONFERENCE 2020

Susan Buekes

I am grateful for this opportunity to share with you a fleeting history of the early years of this organisation of which I am a proud member.  I admit, that when I sat down to prepare this presentation, I was astonished at the realisation that I was a pharmacy student when this organisation was being established, and that I have been a participant in its growth since 1975. Now, why should you all have to listen to my ruminations on this subject? Well, knowledge of history can be an invaluable asset, so it’s important that all members of the South African Association of Hospital and Institutional Pharmacists (SAAHIP) be acquainted with the history of this organisation to which they belong.

Let me quote a past President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the late Ann M Lewis who, in 1994, stated:

“Leaders must not only look forward, in order to advance, but look backwards in order to learn from the past. To go forward in the wrong direction is not leadership; to pause and consider factors in the past which can provide the right direction for the future, is time well spent.”

The most significant date in the history of organised institutional pharmacy in South Africa is that of Friday July 26th1957.  At 2 pm on that date, a two-and-three-quarter hour long meeting took place in the Board Room of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa Building in Johannesburg. 

This inaugural meeting was the result of a letter sent by Mr Peter Baillie, a pharmacist from King George V hospital in Durban, to Mr L Raff, a pharmacist in Pretoria. In his letter, Mr Baillie, who had been chairman of the Natal Coastal Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA), in 1955 and 1956, and awarded Honorary Life Membership of the branch, suggested that hospital and institutional pharmacists be organised into a representative body who would be consulted by the PSSA regarding legislation and recommendations bearing on their interests.

                                            The First Annual General Meeting Committee 1957

Seated: J S Nimmo (Secretary/Treasurer) F C Cochrane (Chairman) L L Raff Vice-chairman) H V Sadler

Back: F S Bezuidenhout, T R Manning, H P Schonegevel

But I am not dwelling on that meeting, nor the first annual general meeting of the South African Association of Institutional Pharmacists (SAAIP) that took place later that year in October with twenty- eight members present.

In the time available I want to pay tribute to a few of those early leaders without whom SAAHIP would not have made the progress that it has. 

In the earlier decades, leaders demonstrated unsurpassed commitment and dedication to both SAAHIP, and their profession. No task to further the goals of SAAHIP was too much effort.  It was my privilege to meet some of them, and to work alongside others. 

These leaders have left a written record of their achievements. I doubt that they realised, when they wrote and delivered those reports, when they composed endless letters to achieve their goals, when minutes were being taken during their meetings, that they were leaving behind a legacy that would contribute towards the history of SAAHIP, and that those same documents would  serve as both an example and an inspiration.  Accurate minutes are vital. Minutes are incomplete if attachments referred to in a set of minutes, are not attached for the record and for the reader.

In February 1965 Commandant Neville Larkin, an institutional pharmacist member, who was an officer in the SA Defence Force, attended an executive committee meeting by invitation. Mr T R Manning, a senior pharmacist at Edenvale Hospital, was chairman at that time.

Commandant Larkin presented an account of his experiences and of his impressions pertinent to institutional pharmacy, received during a tour of Europe, Great Britain, and North America, under a World Health Organisation Fellowship. 

He advised the members, that with the imminent passing of the proposed Drugs Control Bill, it was opportune for the Association to take immediate steps to ensure that pharmacy would be adequately represented on the proposed Drugs Control Council. He stressed aspects that he thought should be implemented locally, such as quality control and analytical procedures, and that inspections should be carried out by pharmacists. He urged SAAIP to submit comments to PSSA on this proposed Bill. 

This Bill was passed, and became the Drugs Control Act, 1965 (Act 101 of 1965), and the Drugs Control Council became responsible for the control of medicines for human use. Within two years this act evolved into the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act, 1965 (Act 101 of 1965), and the Medicines Control Council was established, replacing the Drugs Control Council.

Commandant Larkin had been promoted to Colonel by the time he was elected vice chairman in 1969. Then in 1970 he was elected chairman, and he remained in office until 1972. By then he had been promoted to Brigadier.

Another leader who served on SAAIP EXCO for at least five years, was Mr Nicola van der Merwe, who also became a Fellow of the PSSA.  He was the Medicines Control Council’s first Registrar. Prior to that he was Chief Pharmacist in the Transvaal Hospital Services. He was a committee member in 1963 and chairman in 1964, 1969, 1970 and 1974. Regrettably, there is a gap in my records for 1967 and 1968, so I am unable to determine who served as chairman during those two years. However, what is notable, is that minutes of committee meetings for 1969, still reflect the names of two members, Mr L Raff, and Mr J Nimmo, who had been committee members in 1957.  This surely is an example of continuity and commitment worthy of emulating. 

I think it fitting to mention here that Mr Raff (pictured above) retired to Pietermaritzburg and in 1992 I unexpectedly, received a letter from him enclosing a copy of a page from the July 1946 issue of the South African Pharmaceutical Journal (SAPJ). He wrote that it was probably the first contribution from an institutional pharmacist to be published in the SAPJ. What surprised me most was that his address indicated that he was living practically around the corner from me. Sadly, he declined my invitation to drive him to a branch meeting, so I never had the privilege of meeting him. But I did arrange for his article to be republished in the February 1994 edition of FORUM. The article described “A useful Suction Filter” for use in dispensaries.

Mr v d Merwe’s Chairman’s report for 1969, was written in a format common at that time, namely, the paragraphs alternate between English and Afrikaans. Here are two of the several matters he reported on:

1. three liaison officers representing each of the three provinces, OFS, Natal, and Cape Province, had been appointed. In his opinion these officers provided an invaluable service and without them, EXCO members would have faced grave administrative problems. To clarify this, there were no official branches yet, and Exco meetings were being held in the Transvaal.

2. an Interprovincial Pharmaceutical Matters Committee had been established. This provided pharmacists in government service with a platform at the highest level where their grievances and problems could be heard. 

Here follow some of the thirteen matters that had received the committee’s attention:

• Closer co-operation with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).  Yes, the same organisation South Africa is hosting in Cape Town, in 2022, over half a century later.)

• Status and duties of pharmacists in hospital posts

• Pharmacy technicians

• Metrication………….Imagine that! A complicated matter it was then, converting from teaspoons to the 5 ml plastic spoon, everyone now takes for granted

• Amendments to the Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Act

Harry Chasen, another notable leader, first appears in my records in 1964 as vice-chairman of SAAIP. He was secretary in 1970, then vice chairman again in 1971 and 1972. Then in the following year he was elected chairman.

When a new constitution to enable the formation of branches was drafted and ratified in 1976, the title of the head of the organisation was changed to National Chairman, with branch chairmen forming the National Executive. Harry was elected as the first National Chairman. 

He was re-elected every year thereafter until 1980, when, after another nomenclature change, he was elected as National President. This position he occupied for two years. He thus has the distinction of bearing the titles of chairman of SAAIP, chairman, national chairman, and then president, of SAAHIP. In total, he served as leader for seven years, and served on the committees for close to twenty years.

Harry wrote an article for FORUM, titled “35 years of Coherent Pharmacy in the institutional ranks: the SAAHIP Saga” which was published in January 1988.  It is an entertaining history from the Transvaal branch perspective.

His seven-page President’s Report for the period 1979-1980 is exemplary and was published in FORUM, as were most of his reports. SAAHIP’s accomplishments for that year, with him at the helm, are described in detail. He reported on twenty-four matters, and the report certainly demonstrates his diligence as a chairman. I have selected the following few:

• that SAAHIP had recommended to the Pharmacy Board that there was a place for a trained, registered, controlled technical assistant in the public sector of pharmacy. I would like to point out that this subject had been under discussion for a decade or more.

• that SAAHIP had an official representative on the faculty Board of Rhodes University

• that amendments to the constitution had been made to allow for associate and affiliate membership

• Malpractice insurance with Price Forbes had been well accepted

• Benefactors had been found to sponsor the chains of office for all branches

• Recommendations to the Pharmacy Board to change the term “trainee Pharmacist” to that of Pharmacist Intern had until then not materialized. This in fact took a few years to accomplish.

He had a lot to say about the Health Act of 1977, and not all complimentary. He queried if the country had the manpower to retain pharmaceutical services and if inroads would be made by others into the profession. 

I consider one remark he made as being appropriate even today:

In no other profession, trade or occupation is the destiny of so few being planned and interfered with by so many.

Harry was awarded SAAHIP Honorary Life Membership in 1987. 

Mr Angus Mitchell is another leader deserving of mention. He was head of Natal Pharmaceutical Services for many years before he retired in 1987. He was instrumental in the formation of Natal as the first branch of SAAIP, and he authored an article published in  the April 1978 issue of FORUM, titled “A Brief History of the Natal Branch of SAAHIP”, in which he outlined events leading to the establishment of the Natal branch, as well as the other three branches. 

 It all started with the formation of the Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee in the late sixties. The Chiefs of Pharmaceutical Services of the Provinces and their counterparts from the Department of Defence, the SAR&H, and the Department of Health were meeting regularly. One thing led to another, and then in 1972 he and two others were co-opted onto EXCO to assist with this complicated task that entailed changes to the constitution. He noted that the committee had decided to submit the constitution to competent persons for revision in its entirety. It took two years of discussion and debate before all members were satisfied with the revised constitution and it was finally approved.

Mr Mitchell was chairman of the Natal Branch from !970 to 1975, and in that latter year he was elected chairman of the national body.

It was also during Mr Mitchell’s term of office as SAAHIP chairman that the ten-year saga of designing SAAHIP’s emblem was finalized. Mr Dirk Meerkotter, a pharmacist and artist, had been tasked with designing the emblem. In 1976, at the 20th AGM, Mr Mitchell congratulated and thanked Mr Meerkotter for the design and execution of the tasteful emblem which would be incorporated into the official documents and implementaria of the Association.

Mr Mitchell was awarded Honorary Life Membership of SAAHIP in 1980 and was designated a Fellow of the PSSA in 1984. His leadership was responsible for the Natal Branch being a most active and forward-thinking one. Examples include: 

• Drafting the original minimum standards document

• recommendations on pharmacy support staff training, and 

• the elimination of various forms of racial discrimination such as salary scales and pharmacist posts         in institutions.

On 18th October 1979 (coincidently, the same month, but 22 years after, the first AGM of SAAHIP) the Inaugural Meeting of the Natal Inland Branch took place and Peter Hearn, who managed the pharmacy department at Edendale Hospital, was elected chairman of the newly formed branch.  He was re-elected in 1980 and 1981, and then in 1981, he was elected President. In February 1982 Mr Hearn was transferred to Pretoria, after being appointed Deputy to Mr Pierre Retief, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Department of National Health. A few years later, Mr Retief retired and Mr Hearn took over as Director.

Also in 1982, the Eastern Cape Branch was established with Mr Myer Kaplan as the first chairman, and he remained in office for another year.

All three of Mr Hearn’s Annual Reports were comprehensive and informative and were published in FORUM. In his report presented at the AGM in 1983, despite Mr Hearn declaring that the year had been relatively uneventful, he pointed out that the new constitution had been ratified, and also that the Pharmacy Board had asked the Association to make comment on a matter of policy affecting hospital practice.  He expressed some views about the future of pharmacy, and he urged pharmacists to develop their expertise and knowledge on those skills needed for tasks beyond mere dispensing. He warned and I quote

 “ If we do not have common goals and ideals for the future, which are necessary to develop a common direction for our profession, we could become subject to the ideals and hopes of others, who may determine for us what our futures will be”. 

         

                                                    Angus Mitchell and Peter Hearn

His 1985 report was lengthy and covered his entire three years in office. This was a result of the revised constitution. The constitution had once again needed updating, and the PSSA's legal advisors had drafted a new one that was accepted on 19th March 1983, by the members present at the National Executive Committee Meeting. The only dissenting vote was that of the Natal Branch because the constitution still excluded private hospital pharmacists from joining SAAHIP. 

By virtue of this new constitution, the new-look one we all now know, SAAHIP's financial year was changed to run from January to December, and this resulted in there being no AGM in 1984.

In 1985 Mr Hearn was honoured by being designated a Fellow of the PSSA and he voiced his reaction thus:

 ”One does not seek personal honour when you offer yourself to service, but it does make one proud and humble to be acknowledged this way by your peers.” 

Another leader that must be included is Ian Moore who ran the Durban Transmed Dispensary. He was elected Chairman of the Natal Coastal Branch in 1982, succeeding Jammie Jamnadas. This was still during South Africa’s Apartheid years, and Jammie was the first Indian elected as a branch chairman and thus the first Indian EXCO member. In 1985 at the 28th AGM, Ian was elected President.

                                                  Ian Moore and "Jammie" Jamnadas

It was during his presidency that the first SAAHIP conference took place. This is how he described events in his 1987 President’s report:

 “Proposals are brought by branch chairmen to the executive and in this way every member has access to the running and decision-making processes of our association. Many proposals are tabled, and dealt with, to everyone’s satisfaction throughout the year, but when the idea of a conference/seminar was suggested by the Free State Branch it took a brave committee to give the green light for such a giant step.” 

An extract from the Free State’s proposal reads:  “…to get hospital and institutional pharmacists to talk and share their knowledge, as well as to make them more aware of the need to develop for the year 2000”.  

It is interesting that SAAHIP is presently planning for the year 2030.

That first conference took place at the Riviera Hotel, Vereeniging in 1987 and was a resounding success, and here we are 33 years later, attending the 34th Conference.

ut to return to that 4-page 1987 Report. It is crammed with achievements. I have selected three of the documents that received the attention of EXCO:

• An information document on hospital pharmacy, 

• standards for hospital pharmacy practice

• an inspection questionnaire for hospitals training pharmacist trainees. 

Note that there is still no name change from trainee to Intern.

No history of SAAHIP is complete without mentioning Joe Cohen, who served SAAHIP well for many years. When, by popular demand, in 1977, distribution of FORUM to all members commenced, Joe became the Transvaal Branch’s representative on the Editorial Board. 

In 1980 Joe Cohen became SAAHIP’s honorary secretary, and he continued conscientiously in that post until 1992.  

When the decision was made to go ahead with an annual conference, Joe Cohen set about successfully organising the first conference with the accompanying annual general meeting, as well as two subsequent ones. Joe was well-known within the pharmaceutical industry, from reps to general managers, and through his contacts he was able to secure many sponsorships for SAAHIP events. 

He was made an Honorary Life Member of SAAHIP in 1989.

I hope that I have succeeded in describing the contribution that those early leaders of SAAHIP made towards its growth. They each worked in a different branch of pharmacy, yet they worked towards the common good of their profession. But we must not forget the members of those committees, those branch chairmen, who supported their endeavours and were willing to sacrifice their personal time, year after year, for the benefit of their profession, without the expectation of reward. 

An Association such as SAAHIP can only benefit from the continuity described in this history. This enables the inexperienced committee members to learn from the experienced ones. This is what helped make SAAHIP vibrant, successful, as well as respected.

To conclude with my opinion: A member should only accept nomination onto a committee if he or she is willing to be of service for several years. Accepting nomination simply because the meeting is dragging on and no-one else wants the job, or it may look good in a CV, is a disservice to the individual and the organisation. Without continuity and experience there is a danger of branches becoming stagnant through lack of interest and lack of interest follows on from absence of feedback from committees to members.  It is then that the perennial question is posed: “But what does SAAHIP do for me?”