Irish Examiner view: Spiritual and temporal gaps in the ranks

Skills shortages

As we call medical and health care staff out of retirement to assist the booster programme, we are also handicapped by a growing shortfall in numbers of pharmacists, and thus weakening our ability to manage future waves of viral infection.

If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is to realise how much we depend upon one another to be healthy and safe. But, as we are on the point of entering the third year of the pandemic, there are increasing pressures on those who look after our collective well-being and gaps in the ranks are beginning to form.

In Ireland, as we call medical and health care staff out of retirement to assist the booster programme, we are also handicapped by a growing shortfall in numbers of pharmacists, and thus weakening our ability to manage future waves of viral infection.

In other countries, pharmacies and local chemists fulfil a vital role in vaccine deliveries and advice and are increasingly the first port of call before a doctor’s surgery.

But, warns the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), community-based chemists may be forced into “shorter opening hours, closures on weekends, and bank holidays” unless action is taken to tackle the burgeoning problem.

There are just 240 places in third-level courses, while young pharmacist retention is becoming harder than ever, the IPU said, and is likely to lead to patient care being compromised in the future.

There are approximately 3,800 community pharmacists working in more than 1,900 pharmacies across the Republic. Training to the point of qualification takes five years and there is strong competition in recruitment from other sectors such as clinical roles within the HSE and research positions with pharmaceutical companies.

IPU secretary-general Darragh O’Loughlin said: “If there is no pharmacist available or present, a pharmacy is legally not allowed to open its doors. 

The sector is now beginning to feel a real pinch due to this shortage.

Meanwhile, the number of Catholic priests serving in Ireland is set to decline dramatically over the coming months.

Priests who were due to retire over the past year but stayed on to help colleagues during the pandemic are now hoping they can step down from active ministry — but a lack of ordinations means there is no one to replace them. In addition, a significant number of priests have died in the past year.

Diocesan spokesmen say there are more priests in Ireland now than there were before the Famine when the population was twice as large. But perhaps the atomisation of society is also correspondingly greater, creating more complex and varied demands. Whatever the reasons, higher and more flexible means of personnel planning and training are going to be needed to assist our needs, both spiritual and temporal.