The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) has commenced a public consultation on a proposal to amend the statutory rules underpinning the regulator’s registration requirements. It is part of efforts to facilitate a change to the process pertaining to pharmacist applicants from countries outside of the European Union and European Economic Area.
The existing route for non-European Union and European Economic Area applicants to gain qualification recognition, commonly referred to as the Third Country Qualification Recognition (TCQR) route, is a multi-stage process in place since 2009. A new policy approach by the pharmacy regulator has identified the need to make changes to the route with the intention of streamlining the process, benefiting applicants, the regulator, and the wider public.
As the current qualification recognition and registration processes are based in statutory rules, they now require revision and approval in order to enable the progress of these proposed policy changes.
It is hoped that revisions to the TCQR process would be in place by year-end.
Consultation details can be found on the PSI website and participants can provide feedback to the PSI either by completing a short feedback survey, by email to consultation@psi.ie, or by making a submission to the PSI by post. The deadline for receipt of responses is 19 March 2023. The ongoing work by the pharmacy regulator is taking place as numbers on the register of pharmacists, and applicant numbers, continue to rise, returning to pre-pandemic levels
