- IPU says progress in pharmacy services demonstrates potential to increase healthcare capacity.
25 September 2026: From contraception services to medicines support programmes, Ireland’s pharmacists are delivering a broader range of healthcare services than ever before, making an increasingly important contribution to patients, communities and the wider health service, according to the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), which is marking World Pharmacists Day today.
World Pharmacists Day provides an opportunity to recognise the contribution pharmacists make every day and the significant progress being made in expanding community pharmacy services. This year’s theme, “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures,” highlights the potential for pharmacists to meet evolving healthcare needs and provide more care closer to patients’ homes.
Community pharmacies are among the most accessible parts of the Irish health service, with 1,912 pharmacies nationwide and approximately 2.14 million adults visiting a pharmacy every week.
Through initiatives such as the Common Conditions Service, which enables patients to access treatment for a range of common illnesses through their local pharmacy, the Free Contraception Scheme, the MediBack scheme for the safe disposal of unused or expired medicines, and bowel screening health promotion activity, pharmacists are helping more people access timely care, advice and treatment in their own communities.
Speaking on World Pharmacists Day, IPU President, Caoimhe McAuley said, “World Pharmacists Day is an opportunity to recognise the dedication, professionalism and expertise of pharmacists working in communities across Ireland every day. As medicines experts, pharmacists play a vital role in helping patients get the most from their medicines while providing trusted advice, support, and treatment when it is needed most.
“Community pharmacy is evolving, with pharmacists taking on a broader clinical role and patients increasingly able to access more services and care through their local pharmacy. This is improving access to care, providing services closer to home and creating additional capacity across the health service.
“The progress achieved to date demonstrates what can be accomplished when pharmacists, policymakers, health service leaders and regulators work together with a shared focus on improving patient care,” continued Ms McAuley. “The expansion of community pharmacy services is making a real difference for patients and helping to build a more responsive and accessible healthcare system.
“We now need to maintain that momentum. Pharmacists have the skills, accessibility, and willingness to do more. With continued investment and the appropriate resources, community pharmacy can deliver additional services, increase healthcare capacity, and play an even greater role in meeting Ireland’s healthcare needs.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
World Pharmacists Day is celebrated annually on 25 September and is coordinated globally by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
The IPU’s “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures” event in Dublin today brings together the Department of Health, HSE, PSI, practising community pharmacists and other healthcare stakeholders to discuss progress in pharmacy services and opportunities to further develop patient care.
The Common Conditions Service is a programme that allows community pharmacists to prescribe for eight common conditions after a consultation. These conditions include allergic rhinitis, cold sores, conjunctivitis, impetigo, oral thrush, shingles, uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), and vulvovaginal thrush.
