CASE STUDY

82nd FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

01 – 04 September 2024, CapeTown, SouthAfrica

The FIPWorld Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, was held for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr Mariet J Eksteen, Professional Development and Support Officer, Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA) shared her insights into the 82nd FIPWorld Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

What isThe International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)?

Founded in 1912, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) is a nongovernmental organisation with its head office in the Netherlands. FIP has organised pharmaceutical congresses since it was established.Through their partnerships and extensive pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and pharmacy education networks, they support the development of the pharmacy profession through practice and emerging scientific innovations and by developing the pharmacy workforce to meet the world’s healthcare needs and expectations.

FIP is the global body for pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and pharmaceutical education.Through 158 national organisations, allied organisations (including academic institutional members) and individual members, it represents over four million pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists and pharmaceutical educators worldwide.

The Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA) has been a member organisation of FIP since 2011. Only member organisations may submit a bid to host a FIPWorld Congress.

Which Sector does the FIP operate in?

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) operates in the Medical & Life Sciences sector. South Africa is an established contributor to the work of FIP and contributes to pharmaceutical healthcare on a global scale. FIP works to advance the pharmacy profession so that people everywhere can access the expertise of pharmacists and medicines.Their activities include working in partnership with other organisations, such as the World Health Organization, to improve global health; speaking for the profession on current issues, such as patient safety, through issuing statements at the World Health Assembly; supporting members (national professional organisations, scientific organisations, schools of pharmacy and individuals), publishing reports and guidance, and organising international congresses to provide the profession with an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences face-to-face.

The FIPWorld Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

The FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, was held for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa from 01 – 04 September 2024, Cape Town, South Africa.

South Africa remains the largest pharmaceutical market in Sub-Saharan Africa and is an established contributor to the work of FIP.This congress was an ideal opportunity to showcase the country’s contributions in the pharmaceutical market.

Africa contributes significantly to the pharmaceutical workforce, research, primary healthcare delivery, and pharmaceutical care, not to mention the high burden of disease among communicable and non-communicable diseases. It was important for the world to understand Africa’s contributions and needs.

Thousands of pharmacists meet, learn, share, and exchange views at the annual congress.The varied programme, offering something for everyone, makes the annual congress the premier international event in pharmacy each year.The social side – finding new friends and greeting old ones – complements the academic programme. FIP also has a regional conference programme.

The World Congress was hosted mostly in Europe until 1971, when it was hosted for the first time outside of Europe, in Washington DC, in the United States of America followed by Canada in 1985. From there, the Congress visited each continent at least once: Australia (1988),Japan (1993), Egypt (2005) and Brazil (2006).

Of the 81 FIPWorld Congresses hosted before 2024, only one Congress was hosted on the African continent in 2005 in Cairo, Egypt, despite visiting the other continents several times.

Before the Congress in Cape Town, it was hosted in Australia (2023), Spain (2022), United Arab Emirates (2019), Scotland (2018) and South Korea (2017).The 83rd FIPWorld Congress will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Value to the SouthAfrican economy

FIP’s vision is a world where everyone benefits from access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines, health technologies and pharmaceutical care services provided by pharmacists in collaboration with other healthcare professionals.

Annually, close to 3,000 leaders, experts, and stakeholders from across the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors unite to discuss and shape the future of pharmaceutical healthcare. This year, 3,365 delegates from 97 different countries found their way to the Congress in Cape Town, of which 1,845 delegates were from South Africa.

This was the first time many international delegates had the opportunity to travel to the African continent.This was the 2nd biggest congress organised in FIP’s history. In the five days of the Congress (one preday and four congress days), a total of 106 sessions and 33 smaller business meetings were organised.A record number of 68 companies were present at the exhibition that was organised alongside the scientific sessions.The exhibition also hosted 701 poster presentations from selected abstract submissions.

South Africa has a well-established professional and trade association industry spanning across various sectors.The SANCB focuses on attracting conferences in economic sectors that the government has identified as priorities for future development. Hosting major events in these sectors can significantly accelerate macro-economic benefits for the country.

Medical and Life Sciences are at the top of the list.

South Africa is a developing country, and when these meetings are convened in SA, our local experts get an opportunity to learn from international experts, and international experts get to learn from our local experts.”

For the 2023/24 financial year, the South Africa National Convention Bureau, SANCB, sourced and submitted 95 bids for international business events, to be hosted in South Africa between 2024 and 2032. So far, South Africa has won 19 of the bids submitted, with a combined economic contribution of R84,1 million between 2024 and 2025.

Delegate numbers

• Breakdown of numbers (attendees) — 3,365 delegates from 97 countries, with 1,845 from South Africa.

A total of 2,482 nights by 487 delegates were booked through the congress website. A total of 3,365 congress delegates are estimated to have spent an average of R1,500 per day on food, tours and gifts. This could be calculated to be approximately R25-million. In addition to using the CTICC as venue, the services of local health and safety inspectors, security, audio and visual, and catering companies were utilised during the Congress. Dinners and receptions were booked at local restaurants and venues. A local shuttle service allowed delegates to book transport to/from the airport to the city centre and back, upon booking.

Local Attendance

• Through a collaboration between the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) and the Health and Welfare Sector Educational and Training Authority (HWSETA), funding was accessed for the registration fee for 900 South African delegates to attend the Congress.

• South African delegates were offered a reduced registration fee compared to what international delegates had to pay.

• South Africa delivered the largest delegation of pharmacy students and young pharmacists to the Congress. A 29-person delegation under the South African Pharmaceutical Student Federation (SAPSF) umbrella was the largest student delegation at Congress. The Young Pharmacists’ Group of PSSA consisted of 24 official delegates. These students will ensure that the impact and legacy of the Congress continues.

Legacy

Before the Congress, the PSSA adopted three legacy projects which will continue the success of the FIP 2024 Congress.

• The first project was in collaboration with FIP. CTICC Cares was launched on 18 July during the CTICC's Mandela Day celebrations. This initiative collected pre-loved items from Congress participants and will be distributed to local communities during December. Participants were encouraged to bring books and/or stationery, soft toys, items of clothing, shoes, bathroom items and nonperishable food items.

• The second project focuses on the implementation of the Basel Statements in Africa. The Basel Statements are a set of hospital pharmacy practice standards developed by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Hospital Pharmacy Section (HPS) to reflect the global pharmacy profession’s preferred vision of practice in the hospital setting and serve as a resource for pharmacists, departments of pharmacy, and pharmacy organisations to ensure the collective group of hospital pharmacists are working toward a shared vision. Therefore, South Africa and the African continent must develop a strategy to align the statements with our context. This will be done through a four to sixyear-long legacy project and more information will be shared over time.

• The third legacy project, Medicines to Africa, is an initiative that commenced in 2023 during the FIP Congress in Brisbane when the ‘Medicines to…’ initiative signed an agreement with South Africa to initiate and drive it in the African region. During a dedicated signing ceremony, eight countries signed their support to the initiative. These countries are South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Gift of the Givers has been appointed as the charity that will facilitate the process during times of crisis.

SANCB was involved in the bid process from the outset, and upon submission of the bid to FIP, SANCB alongside other stakeholders, issued letters of support stating their support towards the realisation of this event.The SANCB also provided financial bid support in terms of the site visits, hosting of the event, delegate boosting, and onsite support.Without the SANCB, it would not have been possible for organisations outside of the conference industry to host international events of such scale.

Local involvementcommunity

• The 3,000 Congress bags were produced by a group of women from Mannenberg, Cape Town. They were also given an exhibition space in the foyer of the CTICC, to sell locally produced items to the Congress delegates.

• The entertainment during the Opening Ceremony, which was live-streamed via YouTube, was done by a local choir from Khayelitsha called Isibane se Africa.

• During the Closing Dinner, a new upcoming artist named Carlethia, was booked as entertainment.

Pre- and Post-Tours

• Four professional tours were hosted by the local branch of the PSSA. These tours enabled 155 (international) colleagues to visit different sessions related to community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry and academia. This allowed these delegates to observe how pharmacy is being practiced in South Africa and to build possible future collaborations and engagements.

• In addition, with the help of two local tour agencies, Cape Town Day Tours, South African Pre- and Post-Congress Tours, and tours to eight other African destinations, were offered to delegates. Through these two platforms, almost R1.5-million was generated in bookings.

Partnering with the South Africa National Convention Bureau

The SouthAfrica National Convention Bureau (SANCB) supported the 82nd World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences through the following contributions:

• The SANCB contributed financially towards the Congress bid,

• Site visits by FIP,

• Delegate boosting; and

• Onsite support during the event.

These contributions make an enormous difference in the feasibility of such an event. It is not possible in a resource-constrained environment for any host organisation to proceed without the support of this scale from SANCB.These contributions assisted with printing of congress material (booklets, programmes, posters), congress bags (locally sourced), prior marketing events and activities,venue hire, transport, entertainment, etc.

Support from additional stakeholders other than PSSA, specifically SANCB, showed FIP that the bid document submitted was not pie-in-the-sky.The support and contribution from SANCB gave the national backing needed to show FIP that PSSAwas serious about its commitment to hosting this event, and that several other stakeholders supported the bid.

For more information on the Bid Support programme, please click here.