A proposal for transforming community pharmacy into aprimary healthcare access point through primary care drugtherapy (PCDT) pharmacist-led clinic services and prescribing

This paper presents a practical example of how a community pharmacy can be transformed into an accessible primary healthcare access point, by providing clinic services through the implementation of Primary Care Drug Therapy (PCDT) pharmacist-led services. It is based on existing South African legislation, professional standards, operational systems, and remuneration mechanisms currently supporting PCDT practice in South Africa. It presents a community pharmacy model that is already implemented within the South African healthcare environment and shows how pharmacist-led clinical services can enhance access to quality primary health care services. The paper outlines the key operational, clinical, regulatory, and remuneration components, and provides an assessment of the contribution of PCDT pharmacist-led services to accessible, primary healthcare.