Pharmacists 'should own just one shop'
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.
