About Us
The Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber was created in the summer of 1939. Because of the outbreak of the Second World War it began its activity only after the liberation of Poland, at the end of the war and continued until 1951, when the communist regime dissolved it and nationalized all community pharmacies in Poland in just one night. The idea to reconstitute pharmacy chambers as self-governing pharmaceutical bodies appeared during the period of political and economic changes at the end of the 1980s. In April 1991 the Act on Pharmaceutical Chambers was adopted by Sejm (the Polish Parliament). It took several months to organize the First National Pharmaceutical Congress, which took place in December 1991. It was only then that the structure of the chambers was adopted, authorities of the supreme Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber were elected, and main tasks of the Chamber for the first term were determined.
According to the above-mentioned Act the pharmaceutical chambers are self-governing professional bodies of pharmacists representing their professional, social and economic interests. Self-government of pharmacists is an independent organization and is subject to legal acts only. It consists of the supreme Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber and 22 regional chambers, all of which are separate legal entities.
The highest authority of the self-government is the National Pharmaceutical Congress which is convened by the Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber every 4 years. The key responsibilities of the National Pharmaceutical Congress include:
- development of principles of professional ethics and deontology;
- determination of the agenda of activities of the self-government until the next Congress;
- acceptance of financial activity principles of chambers;
- election of the authorities of the self-government; and
- revision and evaluation of the performance of self-government bodies in the previous term.
The Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber is the supreme authority of the self-government and consists of the Supreme Pharmaceutical Council, the Supreme Auditing Commission, the Supreme Pharmaceutical Court and the Supreme Professional Liability Commissioner.
The Supreme Pharmaceutical Council (45 members – 24 elected at the National Pharmaceutical Congress, 20 presidents of regional chambers and the President of the Council) co-ordinates the activities of the self-government and the National Congresses of Pharmacist, and in particular enforces the decisions of the National Congress, monitors correct implementation of the tasks of regional bodies, co-ordinates and supervises the activities of regional chambers, represents the profession of the pharmacist, gives opinions on legal acts concerning pharmacy as well as drafts internal regulations on the activities of the national and regional chambers. The Council’s Presidium is its working body (at present 11 persons), consisting of the President of the Council (Grzegorz Kucharewicz Ph.D.), two vice-presidents (Marek Jędrzejczak Ph.D. and Michał Pietrzykowski), the secretary (Tadeusz Bąbelek Ph.D.), the treasurer (Krzysztof Przystupa) and ordinary members.
The Polish Pharmaceutical Council is also an appropriate body to decide about the recognition of qualification of pharmacists according to the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.
The Supreme Auditing Commission controls financial and economic activities of the Main Pharmaceutical Chamber.
The Supreme Pharmaceutical Court decides on matters concerning professional liability of pharmacists and the Supreme Professional Liability Commissioner conducts investigation regarding professional responsibility.
The internal structure of regional chambers is similar to that of the national chamber.
Chamber membership is obligatory for all pharmacists who perform professional services according to the article 44 of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC. Active pharmacists have to register as members of their regional chambers and must hold the “Pharmacist’s Professional License” issued by an appropriate regional chamber.
Pharmacists who have not been active for a total of five or more years during any 6 years, and who want to undertake their work as pharmacists must inform appropriate regional chambers and undergo complementary training lasting no longer than 6 months.
Pharmacists working in pharmacies (community or hospital) must constantly improve their professional qualifications and take part in a regular professional training scheme. It is necessary to collect 100 score points during a five year training cycle to fulfil this obligation. The number of score points for every educational activity is specified in a separate governmental regulation on life-long education.
All members of the self-government:
- can elect and be elected to the pharmaceutical chamber bodies;
- can refer to pharmaceutical chambers with any issues relating to their continuous professional development and safety conditions necessary to perform the profession of a pharmacist;
- can refer to pharmaceutical chambers when in need of legal protection and any other form of assistance.
Professional conduct of self-government members can be revised by pharmaceutical courts on the grounds of contradicting the rules of professional ethics and deontology as well as legal pharmaceutical regulations. Pharmaceutical courts can pronounce the following sentences:
- a caution;
- a reprimand;
- a suspension of professional license for a period of 2 months to 3 years;
- a revocation of professional license.
The chamber’s financial income is generated by obligatory membership fees, inheritances, endowments and donations, business activity and governmental subsidies covering costs of recognizing the right to perform profession and issuing the Pharmacist’s Professional Licenses, keeping the register of pharmacists and the activities relating to professional liability of pharmaceutical courts and professional liability commissioners.
Address/Phone
Mailing Address:
THE POLISH PHARMACEUTICAL CHAMBER
16 DŁUGA STREET
00-238 WARSAW, POLAND
Phone: +48 22 635 06 70; +48 22 635 92 85
Fax: +48 22 887 50 32
E-mail: nia@nia.org.pl
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