Pharmacy sector reform measures approved

REFORMING measures to increase competition and raise standards in Ireland’s pharmacy sector have been approved by the Government.

Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney said priority legislation would be introduced by the end of the year to scrap the prohibition that prevented pharmacists not trained in Ireland from taking charge of new pharmacies.

The legislation will also include fitness to practice provisions to strengthen the powers of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI).

Ms Harney said the measures would be good for consumers and would meet the demand from the society to have enhanced fitness to practice powers.

“I am pleased that we will now be removing a restriction that was particularly unfair on Irish people who were forced to study pharmacy abroad in the past because of the restricted number of places available,” she said.

A second pharmacy bill will provide for the regulation and inspection of pharmacies and define a community pharmacy.

The PSI welcomed the Government’s decision. The society’s registrar, Dr Ambrose McLoughlin, said the society had warned for some time that the current system was woefully outdated and not appropriate to meet modern day needs.

However, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) that represents over 1,400 pharmacists said the “abject failure” to address the ownership issue would hasten the demise of rural pharmacies.

IPU president Dr Karl Hilton said the only people who would benefit would be big business that the Government seemed determined to facilitate by buying up the sector.