Pharmacists want to provide extra services for patients to help ease pressure on GPs.
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) says it should be able to prescribe contraception for women, help manage chronic diseases and provide services for minor ailments.
They say the expansion of services would require more funding but it would help reduce the growing queues for GP services.
The union says research shows 18pc of GPs' work load is spent on the minor ailment treatments, which pharmacists could provide through the introduction of a special scheme.
This would reduce GP consultations by around 950,000 visits a year, according to the union.
IPU spokesperson Kathy Maher said there was a commitment in the Programme for Government and the Sláintecare document to expand pharmacy services.
Ms Maher said her members were demanding to see "flesh on the bone" of the commitments on pharmacy services in October's Budget.
"Pharmacies open long hours and over weekends and can be attended without appointment - that is why, for a range of services, community pharmacies are the logical providers of care," she said.
Ms Maher said Ireland was "lagging behind international best practice" and noted that pharmacists in the UK, Canada and New Zealand were already providing such services.
Irish Independent
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