‘Second class citizens’: Concerns over vaccine priority of pharmacy staff

PHARMACY staff in Donegal are being treated as ‘second class citizens’ in the roll out of Covid-19 vaccinations, it has been claimed.

Donegal County Council has been asked to write to the Health Service Executive to seek clarity over the plans for the vaccination of pharmacy staff.

It comes after a leading pharmacist in the county, Tom Murray, who asked that immediate access to vaccination was given to patent-facing members of staff. Mr Murray said that non patient-facing staff in other settings had received the vaccine.

Examples of pharmacy staff in other counties receiving the vaccine were raised at the Glenties Municipal District meeting by Councillor Michael Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig.

Cllr Mac Giolla Easbuig brought an emergency motion to the meeting on the matter.

“We in Donegal are being left behind,” he said.

“Our chemists are being treated as second class citizens.

“These people put themselves in danger every day of the week. I have been speaking to staff and they are all concerned.”

Seconding the motion, Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher said: “This is a massive issue and it seems to have come under the radar. We should be writing to outline the concerns.”