New President of the Irish Pharmacy Union

Twomey, originally from Cappagh in County Waterford, qualified as a pharmacist from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow in 1995. He has been running Cloyne Pharmacy in east Cork since 1997.

Speaking about his appointment, Twomey said, “The pandemic has been a challenging time for all healthcare professionals. This is particularly the case for pharmacies, who have stayed open during each lockdown and dealt with the added pressures this entails. Supporting the sector in recovering from this crisis will be my top priority.”

Twomey said there was now an opportunity to reinvent healthcare, with accessible community care at the centre. “As we emerge from the pandemic we cannot afford to return to ‘business as usual’. Community healthcare needs to innovate and evolve. The Government has made a firm commitment to expand the range of provided by community pharmacies. The profession is eagerly awaiting these moves and my role will be to ensure the government follows through.”

Twomey chaired the IPU’s Contractors Committee from 2006 to 2008. In 2010 he helped found the Joint Consultative Group, which was established to address contractual matters between the HSE and the IPU, and served on that group until 2016. He served as Vice President of the IPU from October 2020 until his appointment as President today, (June 11th).