The Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) has no legal authority to issue annual practising licences to pharmacists, the Attorney General has ruled, directing the society to stop issuing the licences.The ministry of Health issued the directive on September 18, 2026, following a legal opinion by Solicitor General Pius Perly Biribonwoha, which found that the statutory power to regulate, register and license pharmacists rests with the Pharmacy Board and its registrar.The dispute followed a decision by the PSU to convert its annual membership certificate into an annual practising licence for members who had fully paid their membership subscriptions.The development prompted the ministry of Health to seek a legal interpretation of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act, Cap. 309, particularly on whether the authority to issue annual practising licences lies with the Pharmacy Board or the PSU.In his September 11 legal opinion, Biribonwoha said the Act gives the PSU important responsibilities relating to membership, professional standards, education, training and the advancement of the pharmacy profession, but does not confer on it the power to issue annual practising licences.Instead, the law places the functions of regulating, registering and licensing pharmacists with the Pharmacy Board and the registrar.Section 13 of the Act provides for the registration of pharmacists and requires the registrar to maintain the register and, on the direction of the Pharmacy Board and payment of the prescribed fee, register qualified pharmacists and issue certificates of registration.Biribonwoha said membership of the PSU and statutory registration as a pharmacist are separate, although related, matters. While PSU membership is relevant to registration under the law, he said, membership does not give the Society authority to determine whether a pharmacist is legally entitled to practise.The Solicitor General further ruled that payment of a PSU membership subscription cannot be treated as payment for a statutory practising licence.He therefore found that the Society’s decision to convert its annual membership certificate into a practising licence, with issuance based solely on payment of membership subscriptions, was inconsistent with the statutory framework governing pharmacy practice.Following the legal opinion, Director General Health Services Prof Charles Olaro wrote to PSU secretary Dr Lutoti Stephen directing the Society to cease issuing the licences.Olaro also directed the PSU to ensure that its communications, certificates and other documents clearly distinguish between Society membership and the statutory registration and licensing of pharmacists.The ministry said the distinction is necessary to prevent confusion among pharmacists, employers, regulatory authorities and the public.The PSU has also been directed to work with the Pharmacy Board and the registrar to ensure a smooth transition and communicate the changes to affected pharmacists and other stakeholders.Biribonwoha further clarified that although cessation of PSU membership may have consequences under the statutory registration framework, the Society does not independently have the power to suspend, cancel or otherwise determine a pharmacist’s statutory right to practise.The post Pharmaceutical Society has no power to issue practising licences – AG appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.