Pharmacists have called for the lifting of a provision of the Pharmacy Act 2007 that prevents individuals who are bankrupt from being registered as pharmacists. The call was made at the national pharmacy conference held by the Irish Pharmacy Union in Maynooth, Co Kildare, at the weekend.

Under the Act, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland may not register an individual as a pharmacist if the person is an undischarged bankrupt. The restriction is not imposed on other healthcare professionals and is not referenced in bankruptcy legislation.

Dublin pharmacist Roy Hogan, chairman of the IPU's business strategy group, said the rule served as a double punishment for pharmacists with financial problems.