Subsidies for pharmacies in small towns will be needed if the sector is deregulated, the president of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union has said.
Regulations introduced in the mid-1990s mean anyone wanting to set up a pharmacy must get clearance from the local health board.
The regulations have been criticised by consumer bodies and by the Competitions Authority who say they restrict competition and protect inefficient pharmacists.
A proposal for a pharmacy in Knock, Co Mayo - which has no pharmacy - is among those turned down under the regulations. Ms Marie Hogan, president of the IPU, said the regulations were designed to encourage the establishment of pharmacies in small towns and 27 had been established since their adoption. But the viability of pharmacies also had to be taken into account, she said.
The aim was to avoid a situation where the establishment of a pharmacy in one small town meant the closure of another. The IPU was adopting an open attitude to the review of the regulations, she told The Irish Times.
One suggested solution had been "rural practice allowances" to subsidise rural pharmacies facing competition which could threaten their viability, she said.
pomorain@irish-times.ie