The Bermuda Pharmaceutical Association is calling on Government to provide a full-time Government pharmacist to help regulate the industry.

?There is a great need for a full-time Government inspector,? current part-time Government pharmacist Sareta Trott told .

The job does not just require policing pharmacies, she said. ?It?s also grocery stores and wholesale places that carry medicine. Convenience stores, the health stores, all of them.

?It?s just to protect the general public of Bermuda.?

The job is too big for one person to do part-time, Bermuda Pharmaceutical Association (BPA) president Tracy Marra added.

There is an Act being drafted by pharmacists which will address the situation, and ?it basically requires a Government pharmacist,? she said. The final Act will eventually be presented to Cabinet and the House of Assembly.

The problem is mentioned every year at the BPA annual general meeting, Dr. Marra added. ?We?re all for it.?

Dr. Marra also spoke out about the need for a full-time Government pharmacist in a Letter to the Editor.

?While I truly believe that we have excellent pharmacists on this Island, I am not denying that certain safeguards must be put in place to protect the public,? she wrote.

?Pharmacists have access to dangerous substances, and while we self-police, there is a need for greater involvement of a higher authority, a Government pharmacist, to ensure the accurate accounting of these substances.

?Currently, the Government pharmacist is only a part-time position, and so most of the checks and balances are left for the pharmacist to perform.?

In fact, Dr. Marra noted in her letter, it was the diligence of one pharmacist?s co-worker that led to his arrest and recent conviction for stealing and abusing controlled drugs.

?It is regrettable that the pharmacy profession?s name has been slandered because of this, but instead of mistrust in our current pharmacists we should be commended for identifying these acts of crime and acting on them accordingly, and use this event as an eye-opener to prevent this from happening again,? Dr. Marra wrote.

?We wish to assure the public that Bermuda can continue to rely on us for accessible, accurate and useful drug information.?