A Cork pharmacist has warned the heavy workload is driving people from the profession.
The Irish Pharmacy Union says many community pharmacists are choosing to work in hospital pharmacies, or are going into industry where they can get shorter hours or a better work/life balance.
President of the IPU and Cloyne based pharmacist, Dermot Twomey says many of his colleagues are close to burn out due to long hours, no breaks and the difficulties of securing cover to avail of annual leave.
He outlined how many pharmacies are being forced to cut back on their hours, including closing on Saturdays or reducing their opening hours due to a shortage of qualified staff.
Speaking to RedFM News, he says the current situation is not sustainable and it's vital that more community pharmacists are trained or brought into the country:
"What a lot of people are deciding is that a community pharmacy isn't for them. So they're going into other careers, they're doing further study. They're going into industry, some are working as consultants and in other roles. I suppose really the issue is that community pharmacy isn't attractive enough for a lot of people, because there is a very onerous regime in terms of paperwork and form filling, and that pharmacists would very much like to use their skills to a much higher level."
