It’s a welcome development that medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) is now approved for OTC sale in Ireland. It is another recognition…
No profession has a monopoly on patient care — especially now
At time of writing — I’m honestly sick of using that phrase — we’re heading into (at least) another five weeks of lockdown. I have…
Are we there yet? There’s Never a dull moment with Covid-19
So that was January. A bit of a roller-coaster ride in terms of Covid statistics — a rapid rise after Christmas, followed by what appears…
Darkness into light: happily Putting 2020 in the rear-view mirror
I hope you have had the chance over the holiday season to recharge your batteries and reconnect with friends and loved ones. It was amusing…
Goodbye and good riddance
to 2020 — a year to forget
I’m having trouble remembering a year more bizarre than the one we are about to exit. One shouldn’t generalise; perhaps there are some of you…
a dangerous gamble
By the time you are reading this, we will be well into our second lockdown. Among others more qualified to comment on such matters, I…
Lockdown or locked-up? the side-effects of further imposed isolation
At time of writing, the upward slide in the number of Covid-19 cases has prompted Government to tighten its grip on movement, particularly in and…
there are restrictions, and then there are restrictions…
Have you had to field a few difficult questions regarding the guidelines being issued to try to halt the spread of Covid-19? The fact that…
The trade-off between personal privacy and the need to collect Covid-19 data
Have you downloaded the Covid-19 tracker app yet, or have you encouraged your employees, patients/customers or friends and family to do so? In principle, it’s…
Barriers in crime prevention — the way forward?
Will you be leaving the screens up in your pharmacy when Covid-19 has become a thing of the past? It may be a leap in…
Stardom on the cards for pharmacists
Well, it took long enough but finally, pharmacists have ‘arrived’ on the world stage. Never mind prescribing powers or the reversal of FEMPI — pharmacists…
Never let a crisis go to waste: A sideways look at Covid-19
It’s difficult to write anything about the Covid-19 pandemic that hasn’t already been said. At time of writing, there are tentative conversations about when we…
Please socialise responsibly…
So… how was your month?! As with all the other things life throws at us, it’s important to think about the learning we can take…
The ‘war against drugs’ is all but lost
Y our columnists Fintan Moore and Dr Des Corrigan have both touched in this issue on the apparent resurgence in use of the so-called ‘party…
Promises, promises
By the time you read this, you may be interrupted by a knock on the door from a local TD pitching for your vote. Like…
Road-blocks, U-turns and whiplash
January 2020 At the National Pharmacy Conference last May, it was with guarded optimism that I listened to the Minister for Health paint a picture…
Gaybo’s roll-out of condoms
December 2019 The ink is finally dry on the millions of column inches that were dedicated to Gay Byrne following his passing. Personal anecdotes and…
A break for the border in joined-up thinking
November 2019 The 9th All-Ireland Pharmacy Healthcare conference took place last month, bringing together pharmacy colleagues from both sides of the border to share ideas…
50 years go up in smoke
October 2019 A mid the world of death and disease that is inhabited by pharmacists, doctors, nurses and to a far lesser extent medical journalists,…
The minefield of mental health
September 2019 The phrase ‘treat the person, not the disease’ has become a bit of a cliché in recent years. It rolls off the tongue…