The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7231 p50
11 January 2003

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Letters to the Editor

The Register

What other member services might be discontinued?

From Mr G. B. Green, MRPharmS

May I write to support Dr John Hunt (PJ, 21/28 December 2002, p886) in his criticism of the decision of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council to end the disclosure of members' full addresses in the printed version of the Annual Register of Pharmaceutical Chemists.

I believe that one of the founding principles of our Society was the establishment of an accessible register of the membership. I believe further that many of the laws associated with pharmacy rely upon that accessibility which would, in my view, be forfeited if the proposed changes were implemented. Ask those who supply pharmacies and those who employ pharmacists and I am sure they will say that they would find a register without a full address quite unsuitable for their purposes.

As a consequence they, like me, would no longer subscribe to a copy of the register each year resulting in a source of Society income declining.

Other ways can surely be found for any member to register an address that does not expose them to unwanted contacts without jeopardising the raison d'être of the register itself. No evidence has been reported in the context of these changes to suggest such fears of "exposure" are widespread.

It is ironic that in the same edition of the PJ you announced the Council's decision on this matter (PJ, 7 December 2002, p831), your front cover stated "Why an accurate and up-to-date register is important to the profession". I believe most of the membership would agree with you but the new proposals would give us a register that is neither accurate nor up to date.

Since the Society has seen fit to devalue the register by insisting that a check can only now be made using the internet (or else by payment of a significant user fee) and has discontinued the former monthly printed update that users could previously subscribe to, one is left wondering what other member services it might discontinue.

Gerry Green
Lewes, East Sussex

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