The regulation of the pharmacy profession was overhauled today for the first time in 130 years.
New legislation to set new standards of governance, fitness to practise, and registration, was welcomed by the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU), which represents 1,600 community pharmacists nationwide.
The Pharmacy Bill 2007 lifts restrictions which currently prohibit pharmacists educated in other EU or EEA countries from owning, managing or supervising a pharmacy in Ireland that is less than three years old.
It will also see the introduction of having a lay majority sitting on the disciplinary committees, as is the case with the Medical Council, with fitness to practice hearings held in public.
Minister for Health Mary Harney said publication of the Bill was a significant step in the Government's drive towards assuring standards of patient safety.
"The existing Pharmacy Acts date from 1875 to 1962 and it is clear, that in the interests of pharmacists and the public alike, a modern, accountable and efficient system of regulation is required," she said.
"At this stage, incremental change to Pharmacy Acts is not enough. A whole new Bill is needed.
For the first under the law, both pharmacists and retail pharmacy businesses will be subject to a fitness to practise regime.
"Consistent with its public interest role, and in keeping with other recent legislation in the health area, elected pharmacists will no longer be in a majority on the 21 member Council of the Society. Pharmacists will work with other people of standing and expertise on the Council to advance the interests of patients and the public," Ms Harney said.
She added that she accepted the view of the Pharmacy Review Group on the issue of conflicts of interest between those who prescribe and those who dispense drugs and intends to introduce an amendment to the Bill at committee stage to deal with this issue.
Liz Hoctor, vice president of the IPU, which has been calling for pharmacy legislation for many years, said it was a step in the right direction.
"The Bill recognises the increasingly important role played by pharmacists in health care delivery," she said.
"It introduces a fitness to practise regime to ensure that the highest ethical and professional standards in pharmacy are maintained."
However, Ms Hoctor said the IPU was disappointed that the Bill does not include specific provisions to deal with issue of beneficial interest between doctors and pharmacists either in medical practices or pharmacies.
"The development of business relationships between GPs and pharmacists has the potential to put patient safety at risk and undermine patient choice," she added.
"I welcome the fact that the minister has made a commitment to introduce specific provisions to deal with this issue in the Pharmacy Bill at committee stage. I look forward to reviewing the scope and nature of these provisions in due course.
"Failure to deal with this issue in a comprehensive manner will result in a seriously weakened piece of legislation from a patient's perspective."
Ronan Quirke, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland said the legislation was "Long overdue" but that the body was pleased the Government had delivered on its commitment to update the regulatory framework for the profession.
"While we have yet to fully study the detail of the Bill, we are optimistic that it will provide us with a modern robust system of regulation for both pharmacists and pharmacies. We have sought for some time that pharmacies be subject to regulation and we are satisfied that this has been accepted.
"As a profession, pharmacy has been regulated by the same legislation for over 130 years. We are grateful to this Minister for Health, Mary Harney, for delivering a long overdue Bill. Every Minister for Health in the past 30 years has promised a Bill but this is the first time one has emerged. "
PA