Pharmacists in Ireland have collectively endorsed the idea of creating a role for a Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) to champion their cause at the governance level. The call for such a post, which is standard in many other jurisdictions including Northern Ireland, but absent in the Irish system, was made once again by the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU).
The demand gathered full support at the union’s annual general meeting where a discussion was held on the matter. A unanimous agreement was reached, urging Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to establish such an office. Pharmacists perceive that the individual in this role would aid in matters of training, developing the pharmacy workforce, the supply of medicines and formulating the overall strategy.
The role also includes addressing ongoing problems such as drug shortages in the Irish framework. Vice-president of the IPU pharmacy contractors committee, Liam Butler, reinforced the IPU’s consistent advocacy for a CPO role. He emphasised that pharmacies cannot tap into their full potential without this critical position.
“The institution of a CPO would ensure constant attention to the population’s pharmaceutical care and medicine supply at the highest levels of the health system,” he confirmed. He also stressed that it would enable the design of a strategic vision for community-based pharmacy care, improving patient services in the process.
Butler referred to Scotland as an example, where the CPO has formulated a clearly structured national pharmacy plan fully integrated into the broader health service. He conveyed that this plan utilises pharmacists’ specialised knowledge of medicines for the benefit of people’s health and wellness. “We need to adopt a similar method here,” he suggested.
Pharmacists argue that their profession lacks representation and parity compared to having posts like a chief medical officer and a chief nursing officer.