The Local Choice Eksteen Pharmacy, your first stop for community health

In every community, pharmacies are more than just places to collect medication. They are often the first point of contact for health concerns, offering guidance, reassurance, and access to essential treatments. In towns like Barberton, where familiarity and trust matter, the local pharmacy plays a vital role in keeping families healthy.

From minor ailments like colds and allergies to advice on managing chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, pharmacies provide quick, professional support without the need for a doctor’s appointment. They stock everyday essentials such as vitamins, first-aid supplies, and personal care products, but their most important service is often the personal advice from pharmacists who know their customers by name.

South Africa’s healthcare system relies heavily on this frontline role. Pharmacies help relieve pressure on clinics and hospitals by dealing with day-to-day issues, offering over-the-counter solutions, and guiding patients to seek further medical help when needed. In emergencies, they can provide crucial information and immediate relief until more specialised care is available.

For generations, Barberton residents have relied on the familiar orange cross of Eksteen Pharmacy, a local medical and health provider, known not just for its trusted service, but also for its deep commitment to community. Now operating under The Local Choice banner as The Local Choice Eksteen Pharmacy, it continues to combine personal care with professional excellence, offering a wide range of health services that reach far beyond traditional pharmacy care.

What sets The Local Choice Eksteen Pharmacy apart is its continuity

Many residents recall visiting the pharmacy as children with their parents, and now return with their own children. This tradition of trust has created a special bond between the pharmacy and the town it serves.

As a network provider for most medical schemes and a recognised Discovery MedXPress Pharmacy, The Local Choice Eksteen Pharmacy ensures that convenience and affordability remain at the heart of its service. The pharmacy’s in-store clinic offers regular blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screenings, as well as medical aid wellness checks for Vitality, Bonitas, Gems, and KeyHealth members, helping residents stay on top of their health with ease and efficiency.

The Local Choice Eksteen Pharmacy is home to a team of pharmacists with advanced scopes of practice. Through additional qualifications, they are able to provide family planning and vaccination services for all ages. From routine childhood vaccines to adult boosters and travel vaccinations, Barberton locals now have professional immunisation care right on their doorstep.

Clinical pharmacist and manager, Simoné Eksteen describes vaccination as one of her greatest passions, a belief grounded in science and public health. “Vaccines are among the most significant and rigorously proven public health interventions in the world,” she said. “It reduces disease, prevent unnecessary loss of life, and ultimately lessen the cost of healthcare for families and communities.”

A wide variety of vaccines are available through the pharmacy, whether for babies, tweens, adults, or those planning pregnancy, already pregnant, travelling abroad, or living with chronic conditions. This patient-centered approach ensures that every member of the Barberton community can receive personalised health care in a comfortable, familiar environment.

In keeping with its mission to bring accessible healthcare to rural communities, The Local Choice Eksteen Pharmacy also partners with several specialised service providers. These include Kind2Hearing, who offer free hearing screenings; CANSA, who provide pap smears, clinical breast checks, PSA level testing, and mole screening; and, most recently, Radhiant Diagnostic Imaging, which brings a fully equipped mobile mammogram unit to Barberton - a much-needed service under the national Local Choice network.

Simoné and her team proudly describe the pharmacy as a “pocket of excellence” in the Lowveld, a place where professionalism meets compassion, and every patient is treated like family. “Our team is professional, available and trusted,” she said. “We’re as famous for our service as Barberton is for its daisy!”

The pharmacy also supports the international campaign slogan: “Think Health, Think Pharmacy! Professional, available, trusted.” This initiative forms part of a global awareness effort by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), an organisation representing over 5.5 million pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists worldwide, all dedicated to improving access to quality healthcare.

With a clear vision, passionate leadership, and a strong community focus, The Local Choice Eksteen Pharmacy continues to live up to its reputation as Barberton’s most dependable health partner, proving once again that when you think health, you should think pharmacy.