This is the call from the Pharmaceutical Society of SA, which said there was a shortage of posts for newly qualified pharmacists, who are prevented from working elsewhere until they have completed a year of community service for the government.
Society president Sarel Malan said: "If there are insufficient posts in the public service then the only tenable option is to remove the obligation for community service immediately, and to allow all completing interns to be registered without limitation and to practise in any setting."
Lorraine Osman, also from the society, said the number of pharmacists qualifying had increased in recent years, but the provincial budgets to employ them had not.
The society raised these issues with the Department of Health last month and gave them the names of the pharmacists who remain unplaced.
Doctors are also affected.
Junior Doctors Association of SA spokesman Zahid Badroodien said there were 120 doctors, either interns in training or doctors needing community-service places, who had not yet been given jobs that were supposed to start this month.
Badroodien said they were not placed because the new online application system had technical glitches.
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