The Oscars of the Pharmacy Profession, the System Solutions 2006 Pharmacist Awards, took place on Saturday, 25th November 2006 in the opulent surroundings of the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin.

Compered by the inimitable Dr John Bowman, this year’s event attracted an audience of almost 400 including Tim O’Malley TD, the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, raising €30,000 in the process for the Benevolent Trust Fund of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland.

Speaking at the event, the chairman of the Pharmacist Awards organising committee, Mr Fintan Moore, used his address to defend pharmacists against criticism from those who had no appreciation of their role as healthcare providers. “The pharmacy profession is too often portrayed in purely commercial terms. Indeed, many people who should know better can’t tell the difference between the sale of medicines and the sale of bananas. The fact that there are more than twenty pharmacists nominated here tonight for their services to the public gives the lie to this perception.”

Mr Peter Murray, chairman of Systems Solutions, said, “Systems Solutions is delighted to sponsor the Pharmacist Awards because they provide recognition for the immense contribution that pharmacists from community, hospital and industry make every single day of their working lives. Pharmacists are very often neglected when discussion turns to healthcare, but pharmacists across Ireland play a tremendous role in supporting the healthcare system. And their sheer expertise, professionalism and accessibility mean they have an even bigger role to play in the future.”

Cicely Roche, who spoke on behalf of the Benevolent Trust Fund of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, said that the monies raised by the event would make a very real difference to the families of pharmacists experiencing difficult times.