Innovations and Stewardship: Hospital Pharmacy for a Sustainable Future

(Hospital Session)

Sunday: 11 October 2026
Time: 11h45 – 13h15
Venue: Hall 1AB 2AB
Chair: Mr Kesentseng Jackson (KH) Mahlaba

Session Overview
Hospital pharmacy continues to evolve in response to changing healthcare needs, emerging technologies, and growing expectations for sustainable and patient-centred care. Achieving a sustainable future requires balancing innovation with responsible stewardship to optimise patient outcomes, use resources effectively, and minimise environmental impact. Advances in pharmacogenomics, artificial intelligence, and environmentally conscious pharmacy practices are creating new opportunities to improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of healthcare delivery. At the same time, hospitals must ensure that these innovations are implemented ethically, equitably, and sustainably.

This session will focus on the role of eco-pharmacology and eco-pharmacovigilance in promoting environmental stewardship, the potential of personalised treatment and pharmacogenomics to enhance therapeutic outcomes, and the application of artificial intelligence to transform hospital pharmacy practice and patient care.

Objective
To explore how hospital pharmacy can achieve a sustainable, innovative, and patient-centred future by integrating emerging technologies and environmentally responsible practices.

Take-home messages

  • Eco-Pharmacology and Eco-Pharmacovigilance – understand how eco-pharmacology and eco-pharmacovigilance contribute to environmental stewardship and sustainability within hospital pharmacy. There must be a balance between innovation and the use of resources to minimise environmental impact.
  • Personalised treatment and Pharmacogenomics – Assess how pharmacogenomics can support individualised therapy and improve therapeutic patient outcomes.
  • Health Technology in Hospital care (AI) – Identify opportunities for AI to enhance healthcare delivery, patient care, safety, quality, and operational efficiency.

Programme

11h45 – 12h00 – Opening and overview by the South African Association of Hospital and Institutional Pharmacists (SAAHIP) and South African Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SASOCP)
Speakers: Dr Seshnee Moodley and Ms Eda Verster

12h00 – 12h20 – Eco-Pharmacology and Eco-Pharmacovigilance
Speaker: Dr Vivian Chengalroyan

12h20 – 12h40 – Personalised treatment and Pharmacogenomics
Speaker: Ms Nicole Keuler

12h40 – 13h00 – Health Technology in Hospital care (AI)
Speaker: Mr Bandela Mgoqi

13h00 – 13h15 – Panel discussion with: Dr Seshnee Moodley, Ms Eda Verster, Dr Vivian Chengalroyan, Ms Nicole Keuler and Mr Bandela Mgoqi

13h15 – 14h30 – Lunch and poster presentation exhibition hall

14h30 – 14h50 – Opening and overview by the session chair Mr Nhlanhla Mafarafara

14h35 – 16h00 – Oral presentations (Eight (8) Oral Presentations)

The Future of Healthcare: Championing Workforce Flexibility

Monday: 12 October 2026
Time: 11h00 – 12h30
Venue: Hall 1AB 2AB

Chair: Ms Charlotte Moatlhodi

Session overview
As healthcare demands continue to grow, the profession must assess whether current workforce structures, perceptions, and scope-of-practice arrangements are fit for the future. At the same time, the healthcare workforce must become increasingly flexible, adaptable, and responsive to emerging challenges and opportunities. Workforce flexibility extends beyond staffing models; it encompasses skills development, evolving professional roles, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the ability to practise to the full extent of one’s competence. Furthermore, fostering an agile and innovative workforce can enhance professional wellbeing, strengthen organisational resilience, and support the long-term sustainability of the pharmacy profession across academia, industry, hospital, regulatory, and community practice settings.

This session will explore the future workforce needs, innovative workforce models, and the opportunities and barriers associated with expanding and optimising the scope of practice across the pharmacy profession.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the workforce challenges and healthcare needs that will shape the future of pharmacy as a profession
  • Examine how workforce perceptions influence career pathways, professional identity, and service delivery.
  • Identify opportunities to optimise scope of practice across community, hospital, industry, and academic pharmacy settings.
  • Recognise regulatory, organisational, and professional barriers that may limit workforce flexibility and develop strategies to address them.

Take-Home Messages

  • The future of pharmacy depends on a workforce that is flexible, adaptable, and empowered to respond to evolving patient and system needs.
  • Unlocking the full potential of the pharmacy profession requires innovative workforce models that expand opportunities for pharmacists to practise to the full extent of their knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as a commitment to continuous learning and collaboration.

Programme

11h00-11h10 – Introduction by the Chairperson
Speaker: Ms Charlotte Moatlhodi

11h10-11h30 – Workforce, perceptions – what the country needs
Speaker: Mr Victor Khanyile

11h30-11h50 – Innovative workforce models for the future
Speaker: Mr Siraaj Adams

11h50-12h10 – Opportunities and barriers to the scope of practice
Speaker: Prof. Carl Schneider

12h10-12h30 – Panel Discussions

12h30-14h00
Lunch and Poster Presentation Exhibition Hall

The Benefits of Empowering the Workforce

Monday: 12 October 2026
Time: 14h00 – 15h30
Venue: Hall 1AB 2AB
Chair: Ms Tabisa Sihiya

Session overview

Empowering the healthcare workforce is essential to building resilient health systems and responding effectively to a rapidly changing healthcare environment. As healthcare becomes increasingly complex, professionals at all levels must be equipped with the leadership skills, confidence, and capabilities to drive meaningful change. This session brings together perspectives on leadership, workforce development, quality improvement, and patient safety, highlighting the critical role of empowered professionals in shaping the future of healthcare. Speakers will engage participants in exploring how effective leaders influence organisational culture, inspire innovation, and translate vision into action. The session will also examine how investing in people, strengthening accountability, and fostering continuous learning can improve service delivery and healthcare outcomes. Furthermore, it will emphasise that quality and safety are achieved not only through compliance but also through empowered teams working within strong systems that support excellence in practice.

Take-Home Messages

  • Leadership for Change: The future of healthcare will be shaped by professionals prepared to lead change, demonstrate their impact, and turn opportunities into better outcomes for patients and communities.
  • Empowering Health Leaders: Healthcare transformation happens when empowered leaders take responsibility, inspire others, and create the conditions for lasting and meaningful change.
  • Quality and Safety: Quality and safety result from empowered professionals working within strong systems that place patient care, accountability, and continuous improvement at the centre of practice.

Programme

14h00-14h05 – Introduction by the Chairperson
Speaker: Ms Tabisa Sihiya

14h05-14h25 – Leadership for change
Speaker: Dr Catherine Duggan

14h25-14h45 – Empowering Health Leaders
Speaker: Dr Dena van den Bergh

14h45-15h05 – Prioritising quality and safety in a shifting healthcare landscape
Speaker: Prof. Petrus De Wet Wolmarans

15h05-15h15 – Panel discussions