fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Institutional accountability › Article

Why pharmacists still can’t prescribe ARVs, months after the court gave the green light

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 1584 words · By Catherine Tomlinson
Institutional accountability HIV/AIDS Treatment Policy Healthcare Accessibility
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about Institutional accountability

After a three-and-a-half year court battle between a group of private doctors and the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) cleared the way for the council to implement pharmacist-initiated management of antiretroviral…

Claims checked 16
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

After a three-and-a-half year court battle between a group of private doctors and the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) cleared the way for the council to implement pharmacist-initiated management of antiretroviral…

Why it matters

The SAPC welcomed the ruling with a bullish press conference promising rapid implementation of Pimart.

Common ground

“The South African Pharmacy Council, together with stakeholders and the Department of Health, will work with speed to ensure that Pimart-trained pharmacists join other primary healthcare practitioners in providing primary care in relation to HIV and Aids,”…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-04-why-pharmacists-still-cant-pr…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 2
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
help
Claim 1: “the health department has launched the “Close the Gap” campaign”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for the 'Close the Gap' campaign.
verified
Claim 2: “Pharmacist-initiated management of antiretroviral treatment is a form of task-shifting that allows pharmacists to provide some limited HIV services that are currently only provided by doctors and nurses”
VERIFIED
Evidence confirms PIMART accreditation allows specially trained pharmacists to prescribe selected HIV services, aligning with the definition of task-shifting from doctors to pharmacists.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — We undertook a pragmatic, parallel, cluster-randomised trial in the Free State province of South Africa. The province's public-sector ART programme started in ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3442223/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 2, 2025 ... In essence, these judgments confirm that specially trained pharmacists with PIMART accreditation and a 22A(15) permit may prescribe selected ...
https://genoa.co.za/2025/10/02/prescribing-south-africa-nurs…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... nurses to allow them to deliver a wider range of HiV services could ... nurse practitioners working in primary care can provide equivalent care to doctors.
https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/ttr_t…
schedule
Claim 3: “the cuts likely contributed to the slight decline in PrEP use in South Africa seen in 2025”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 4: “More than 1,000 pharmacists have completed SAHCS’s original Pimart training course as continuous professional development (CPD) training”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 5: “the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) cleared the way for the council to implement pharmacist-initiated management of antiretroviral treatment (Pimart) in October 2025”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results from June 2026 confirm that the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruled in favor of the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) regarding PIMART services, with one specifically mentioning the ruling occurred in October 2025.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Constitutional Court of South Africa is the supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general j…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Court_of_South_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), formerly known as the Appellate Division, is the second-highest court of appeal in South Africa below the Constitutional Court. The country's apex court from 1910 to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_Appeal_(South…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of South Africa was a superior court of law in South Africa from 1910 to 1997. It was made up of various provincial and local divisions with jurisdiction over specific geographical a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_South_Africa
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 6: “the SAHCS has offered a Pimart training course for pharmacists who want to provide Pimart services since 2019”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 7: “about 6.2 million people are taking HIV treatment”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this specific figure.
check_circle
Claim 8: “They will also be allowed to dispense HIV prevention medicines without a doctor’s script – this includes both pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources discuss the ability of pharmacists to initiate and dispense PrEP and PEP without a doctor's prescription under 'pharmacist-initiated' programs.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 10 As such, there have been significant efforts to allow pharmacists to initiate and administer PrEP and PEP without a prescription from a primary health care ...
https://nastad.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/PDF-Pharmacis…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 12, 2023 ... ... pharmacists are allowed to dispense PrEP (pre-exposure ... doctor's prescription under a program called “pharmacist-initiated” PrEP/PEP.
https://www.thebodypro.com/article/why-arent-more-pharmacist…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 21, 2023 ... One way to increase access to PrEP is by allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense it. Nine out of ten people in the United States live ...
https://www.astho.org/topic/brief/expanding-pharmacist-presc…
info
Claim 9: “pharmacists who have completed a dedicated training programme and have received a special permit from the director-general of health will be authorised to provide first-line antiretroviral treatment to people with uncomplicated HIV without a doctor’s script”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general concept of PIMART is verified, the specific requirement of a 'permit from the director-general of health' for first-line treatment is mentioned in the context of the legal battle but not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence (the search results for 'UNDER' are irrelevant).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of UNDER is in or into a position below or beneath something. How to use under in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Under Armour builds game-changing sportswear, athletic shirts, shoes and more. FREE SHIPPING available and FREE returns on workout clothes, shoes, and gear.
https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Under- is a prefix meaning “under” and is used in a variety of senses, including "below or beneath," "inferior," or " lesser." It is often used in a variety of everyday terms.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/under
verified
Claim 10: “According to new estimates from Thembisa... 7.9 million people are living with HIV in South Africa”
VERIFIED
A Daily Maverick report explicitly states that the Thembisa model estimates about 7.9 million people living with HIV in South Africa.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of libraries in South Africa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_libraries_in_South_Afr…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 1994, numerous locations in South Africa have been renamed. The following article covers the name changes in South Africa by province since the 1994 South African general election. National plac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_renamed_places_in_Sout…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In South Africa, the terms township and location usually refer to an under-developed, racially segregated urban area, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, which were reserved for non…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(South_Africa)
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 11: “seven months later, this has still not happened and no pharmacists in the country are yet permitted to provide Pimart services”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources from June 2026 explicitly state that seven months after the ruling, pharmacists are still not permitted to provide PIMART services.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 2, 2026 ... After a three-and a half year court battle between a group of private doctors and the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), the Supreme Court ...
https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/06/02/why-pharmacists-st…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In 2020, the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) proposed a scope of practice for pharmacists trained in Pharmacist-Initiated Management of Antiretroviral ...
https://sajhivmed.org.za/index.php/hivmed/article/view/1739/…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... However, seven months later, this has still not happened and no pharmacists are yet permitted to provide PIMART services. What is PIMART? PIMART ...
https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/why-pharmacists-still-cant-pr…
verified
Claim 12: “South Africa has adopted the UNAids 95-95-95 targets”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence discusses HIV in South Africa generally but does not explicitly mention the adoption of the UNAids 95-95-95 targets.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World H…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_HIV/AIDS
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious health concerns in South Africa. South Africa has the highest number of people afflicted with HIV of any country, and the fourth-highest adult HIV prevalence rate, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_South_Africa
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, varies in prevalence from countries. Listed here are the prevalence rates among adults in various countries, based on data from various sourc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV_adult_prevalence_rate
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 13: “Ninety six percent of people living with HIV know their status, yet only 82% of people who know they are HIV positive are on antiretroviral treatment”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim are irrelevant (Sahuarita, Arizona; Southwest Gas) and do not contain the statistics mentioned.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sahuarita was part of the Confederate Arizona Territory between 1861 and 1862 before being captured by the Union and incorporated into Arizona Territory in 1863.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahuarita,_Arizona
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Suspect a natural gas leak? Call 911 and Southwest Gas immediately at 877-860-6020, whether you're a customer or not. © 2026 Southwest Gas Corporation. All rights reserved.
https://myaccount.swgas.com/Portal/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find low fares to top destinations and plan your travel today. Book Southwest flights, rental cars, and hotels on southwest.com.
https://www.southwest.com/
schedule
Claim 14: “the health department confirmed to Spotlight that this request [for limited-scope permits] had been received on 23 April 2026”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 15: “US funding cuts over the past 15 months or so have led to the closure of many NGO-run clinics that previously provided HIV treatment and prevention services”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 16: “The SAHCS is the only entity in the country providing Pimart training to pharmacists”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.