Pharmacists 'should own just one shop'

CHEMISTS should be restricted to owning just one shop, Junior Health Minister Tim O'Malley said yesterday.

Ahead of the completion next month of a government report on the future of the pharmacy industry, Mr O'Malley blames the greed of a small number of chemists, who opened chains of shops purely driven by profit, for the deterioration in some areas of the ethos of community service among pharmacists.

Stating that he does not have a vested interest, as the Limerick pharmacy he ran for 30 years is now owned and operated by his children, the Progressive Democrats TD said deregulation of the pharmacy market would be detrimental for the consumer. "If the consumer wants the best pharmaceutical service and the best advice from pharmacists, then the best way to achieve that is to have a situation where each pharmacist in the State is allowed only one contract," he said. Following the decision by Health Minister Micheál Martin, taken on legal advice earlier this year, to revoke the 1996 regulations restricting the number of chemist shops, the market is effectively in limbo.

The Mortell Commission, headed by Prof Michael Mortell, is due to report to Mr Martin in January on competition and regulation in the market and recommend the best way forward. Market deregulation is being staunchly opposed by the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, which claims the 1996 regulations ensured pharmacies remain locally-owned and part of the fabric of the community. Under 1996 rules, anyone wanting to open a pharmacy that handles medical card prescriptions had to get the permission of the area health board.

But before granting permission the health board had to take into account the impact on other pharmacies and whether the new shop was justified on public health grounds, effectively protecting the sector from competition. Prior to the regulations being revoked, German pharmacy group, Gehe, agreed to pay 152.4 million for the Unicare chain of 29 pharmacies, but the deal was subsequently called off and the matter will now be resolved to court. But Limerick East TD Mr O'Malley argues that the pharmacy market is unique and not suitable for deregulation. Viewing pharmacy as a profession and service industry, the former IPU president says a pharmacist can only give a proper service in one location to the people he is in direct contact with. "That's my wish that each pharmacist could open a pharmacy anywhere in the country."