Madam, - Kathryn Holmquist ("TCD Chemist school could lose status", October 27th) made a number of statements about the pharmacy profession and pharmacy in general in Ireland. Arising from this article, there are two matters in particular that the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland wishes to have clarified for your readers.
It is stated that the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland is concerned that there are too many pharmacists coming onto the employment market and that it believes that two recently accredited courses at Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, and University College Cork may be enough to meet demand, and that the course at Trinity College Dublin could lead to an oversupply of pharmacists. This does not accurately represent the society's position. The society accredits pharmacy degree courses on the basis of the course content and the ability of the institution concerned to deliver that course. The numbers of students qualifying from each course is not an issue in whether a course is accredited or not. The continued accreditation of the course at TCD is in no way related to the number of students annually graduating from that course.
It is further stated that new EU regulations come into effect next May which will allow pharmacists trained outside the Republic to set up business here. The society wishes to confirm that no such EU regulations have been agreed or are due to be introduced in May of next year. - Yours, etc.,
ANN MCGEE, MPSI, Registrar and Secretary, Pharmaceutical Society
of Ireland, 18 Shrewsbury Road, Dublin 4.