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Source: Irish Health

Date: 9-Mar-2007

Author: Niall Hunter

Health Minister Mary Harney has announced plans for a major reorganisation of the pharmacy profession in Ireland.

Under the plans, the public will for the first time have effective protection against pharmacy malpractice.

The Pharmacy Bill 2007 provides for new standards of governance, fitness to practise and registration for pharmacists and also lifts restrictions on qualified EU pharmacists setting up in Ireland.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland said it is optimistic that the new bill will provide for a modern, robust system of regulation for both pharmacists and pharmacies.

It pointed out that updating pharmacy legislation and regulation was long overdue.

The Minister pointed out that under the new legislation, for the first time both pharmacists and retail pharmacy businesses will be subject to a fitness to practise regime.

Currently, the Pharmaceutical Society, which is the regulatory body for the profession, can only remove a pharmacist from the register where there has been a breach of the criminal law, but it does not have the right to strike off a pharmacist in other circumstances of professional misconduct or malpractice.

This will change under the new law, however.

Minister Harney said that under the new Bill, elected pharmacists will no longer have a majority on the 21-member Council of the Pharmaceutical Society which will regulate pharmacy affairs.

The Minister, in the new Medical Practitioners Bill, is also planning to remove the doctors' majority on the Medical Council.

Under the Pharmacy Bill, there will also be a lay majority on the disciplinary committees of the Pharmaceutical Society.

There will also be a provision for fitness to practise inquiries into pharmacists to be held in public.

The new Bill also removes the previous exemption from EU law allowing pharmacists from other EU countries to own, manage or supervise a pharmacy in Ireland.

These pharmacists will now be allowed operate in Ireland. Pharmacists from other EU countries wanting to set up in Ireland will be required to satisfy the Pharmaceutical Society that they have the language competence to practise in Ireland.

The Society said it will hold a meeting next week to consider the details of the Bill.