DURBAN - Two KwaZulu-Natal independent pharmacies are the first recipients of funding to re-establish their looted establishments.
The funding is an initiative by the Independent Community Pharmacists Association (ICPA), through its Independent Pharmacy Emergency Fund. It plans to assist at least 84 independent pharmacies that were destroyed during the recent looting in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga.
Two KZN pharmacists were among the first 44 recipients of the initial R25 000 funding. The organisation said it had been overwhelmed by the support and financial contributions from individuals, pharmacies, and other service providers, ranging from hundreds to thousands of rands.
“Every rand is received with great appreciation for the compassion colleagues are showing to these affected pharmacies,” says Kgabo Komape, chair of the board of directors for ICPA.
ICPA chief executive Jackie Maimin called on all stakeholders to assist in whatever capacity they could.
“Financial donations can be pledged to the fund and, if financial support is not possible, then assistance with shop fitting, IT hardware, merchandising, extended credit terms, etc, will be welcome – to list just a few examples of the type of requirements expressed by the affected pharmacies.
“No gesture is too small and any help will be gratefully accepted,” said Maimin.
Eben Strauss, who has a pharmacy in Esikhawini, that was burned down and is estimated to take more than six months to restore and reopen, reacted with elation to the initiative.
“This is such good news! I appreciate all the support from all the role players and the ICPA,” said Strauss.
Imtiaz Bux, a pharmacist from Durban whose pharmacy was looted and burned down, was equally grateful for the funding from the ICPA, lauding the association as being a champion for independent pharmacists.
“It is because of people like you that community pharmacists are surviving in this period,” said Bux.
Donors to the ICPA emergency fund include Aspen Pharmacare (R1.5 million), Zydus Pharmaceuticals (R1.5 million), Discovery (R1 million), Adcock Ingram (R1 million), Bidvest (R1 million), Austell Laboratories (R500 000) and Transpharm (R250 000).
The ICPA has a target of raising R20 million for assisting pharmacists to restore their services. The funding’s equitable distribution will be overseen by a specialist team, within Business for South Africa (B4SA).
THE MERCURY