Pharmacist suspended in latest run-in

Neglected her basic duties as pharmacist, says regulator

The college that regulates B.C. pharmacists has come down hard on a Penticton member who has a history with the group’s disciplinary committee.

Joelle Mbamy, owner of Sunrise Pharmacy at 749 Main St., agreed to a one-year suspension, effective July 18, for improperly dispensing medication, according to a decision published online by the College of Pharmacists of B.C.

“On or about Sept. 15, 2021, the registrant dispensed a medication to a patient from a prescription dated March 30, 2021. Before dispensing this medication to the patient, the registrant did not confirm the patient’s diagnosis, did not conduct a clinical assessment of the appropriateness of the medication and the prescribed dose, and did not provide the patient with information required for a pharmacist/patient consultation,” states the decision.

“In this case, the registrant’s actions, or lack thereof, contravened sections of the Community Pharmacy Standards of Practice and the Code of Ethics. The registrant neglected her basic duties as a pharmacist, did not protect and promote the well-being of her patient, did not act in the best interests of her patient, and placed her patient at risk of harm.”

Besides serving the suspension, Mbamy must also at her own expense complete the UBC Canadian Pharmacy Practice Programme and The Pharmacy Qualifying Examination, Part II through the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, before returning to practice. Once back on the job, she will be supervised for her first 180 hours.

The decision goes on to note Mbamy was sanctioned for other contraventions between 2017 and 2020. That included Mbamy being banned in 2019 from dispensing opioid agonist therapies, such as methadone, after a teenage employee died in 2017 from a methadone overdose.

As such, the disciplinary committee “considered it appropriate that the disposition for such conduct be one that serves as a strong deterrent and sends a clear message to both the profession and the public that the college cannot and will not tolerate this type of conduct under any circumstances.”

Mbamy is a native of Cameroon who trained in Belgium and registered as a pharmacist in B.C. in 1997.

Contributed Joelle Mbamy has been banned from practising as a pharmacist for one year and must complete remedial training and examinations before returning to work.