Public Notifications

Pharmacist Registrant 13 has satisfied the terms of an agreement reached with the Inquiry Committee dated April 18, 2013. Limits and conditions on pharmacist registrant’s registration as a pharmacist have now been removed. The pharmacist registrant’s name has been withheld pursuant to 39.3(4) of the Health Professions Act.

April 18, 2013
(April 19, 2018 - Limits and Conditions Removed)

The Inquiry Committee has reinstated pharmacist registrant’s registration which had previously been suspended for an indefinite period on December 5, 2012. Pursuant to Section 36 of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee has reached an agreement with pharmacist registrant to place limits and/or conditions on his registration as a full pharmacist, effective April 18, 2013. This agreement remains in effect until April 18, 2018. The Inquiry Committee considers the agreement necessary to protect the public. The pharmacist registrant's name has been withheld pursuant to 39.3(4) of the Health Professions Act.

December 5, 2012
(April 18, 2013 – Registration reinstated) 

The Inquiry Committee, pursuant to Section 36 of the Health Professions Act, has reached an agreement with pharmacist registrant to suspend his registration as a pharmacist for an indefinite period pending further disposition by the Inquiry Committee. The Inquiry Committee considers the agreement necessary to protect the public. The pharmacist registrant's name has been withheld pursuant to 39.3(4) of the Health Professions Act. 

Patrizia Berra has completed a term of suspension which ended on February 21, 2018, and her registration as a pharmacist has been reinstated as of February 22, 2018. 

December 18, 2017

(February 22, 2018 – Registration reinstated)

Pursuant to section 36(1) of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) reached an agreement by consent with pharmacist registrant Patrizia Berra (the “Registrant”) to suspend her registration as a pharmacist for a period of one month from January 22, 2018 to February 21, 2018.

A member of the public obtained a printout of her PharmaNet record and discovered that the Registrant accessed her PharmaNet record. The Registrant admitted that she did not dispense a medication, provide patient counselling or evaluate a patient’s drug usage when she accessed the patient’s PharmaNet record, and that the access was without consent.

Following investigation, the Inquiry Committee determined that the Registrant inappropriately accessed a PharmaNet record for reasons unrelated to health care and without consent, in contravention of sections 21(2) and 21(3) of the Bylaws to the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act, section 71 of the Bylaws to the Health Professions Act, and Standard 4 of the Code of Ethics.

The Inquiry Committee found that this constitutes a “serious matter” and that inappropriate access of personal health information compromises the public’s trust in individual registrants and the pharmacy profession as a whole. Previous complaints considered by the Inquiry Committee have found that even inadvertent and innocuous inappropriate access by a registrant is sufficient for an onerous disposition.

Therefore, the Inquiry Committee and the Registrant agree that the Registrant shall submit a fine of $1,000, suspend her registration for a period of one month, and thereafter appear before a panel of the Inquiry Committee for a verbal reprimand. A letter of reprimand shall be placed on the College register as a permanent record and the College may disclose its contents in response to inquiries regarding the status of the Registrant’s registration. The Inquiry Committee considers this agreement necessary to protect the public.

King Cheong (Steven) Lum has completed a term of suspension which ended on December 31, 2017, and is eligible for reinstatement of registration. Until December 31, 2022, he will be limited from being a manager, director or owner of a pharmacy, hold shares in any corporation that owns a pharmacy, and/or be a preceptor.

January 1, 2017

(January 1, 2018 – Registration reinstated)

Pursuant to s. 36(1) of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee has reached an agreement with King Cheong (Steven) Lum (the “Registrant”) to suspend his registration as a pharmacist for 365 consecutive days, from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.

In or about April 2016, while pharmacy manager, director, and owner of a pharmacy, the Registrant discovered discrepancies between the on-hand quantities and computer quantities of 47 individual molecules of narcotic and controlled drugs and 21 individual molecules of benzodiazepines at the pharmacy. The most significant discrepancies were 165,998 tablets of Ratio-Oxycocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen 5mg/325mg), 1,030 tablets of Ratio-Lenoltec No. 3 (acetaminophen/caffeine/codeine 300mg/15mg/30mg), and 17,353 tablets of Mylan-Alprazolam 2mg. The Registrant had not noticed the discrepancies for many months until April 2016, and therefore the discrepancies had not been reported to Health Canada as required.

After an investigation, it was substantiated that while the Registrant was pharmacy manager, director, and owner of a pharmacy, he failed to maintain a standard of practice of the pharmacy profession and contravened the relevant provincial and federal legislation with respect to the following:

• Management of inventory of narcotics, controlled drugs and targeted substances under his control to prevent loss or theft, including failure to count and reconcile all narcotics, controlled drugs and targeted substances at least every three months as required by Professional Practice Policy #65;
• Failure to maintain records of purchases, sales and remaining inventory for narcotics and other controlled drugs;
• Failure to make timely reports of losses of narcotics and other controlled drugs to Health Canada; and
• Failure to adhere to s. 43 of the Narcotic Control Regulations, s. G.03.012 of the Food and Drug Regulations, and s. 7(1)(b) of the Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances Regulations, in that he failed to take all reasonable steps that were necessary to protect narcotics, controlled drugs and targeted substances on the premises or under his control against loss or theft or to take steps necessary to ensure their security, including failure to count and reconcile narcotics, controlled drugs and targeted substances at least every three months.

The Inquiry Committee considered that the Registrant’s serious lack of judgment constituted professional misconduct.

Prior to reinstatement of his registration following the suspension period, the Registrant will be required to:

• thoroughly review relevant legislative requirements and to sign a Declaration acknowledging his understanding of and compliance with the legislative requirements;
• meet with the Inquiry Committee to discuss his reflections on his conduct and what he has learned;
• successfully pass the College’s Jurisprudence Exam; and
• pay a $30,000 fine.

The Registrant will also be limited from being a manager, director, or owner of a pharmacy, hold shares in any corporation that owns a pharmacy, and/or be a preceptor for a period of five years from the date that his suspension ends (commencing December 31, 2017).

The Inquiry Committee considers this Agreement necessary to protect the public, as well as send a clear message to the profession that the College does not tolerate this type of conduct.

May 20, 2016

(January 1, 2017 – Registration suspended)

The Inquiry Committee, pursuant to section 35(1) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183, for the purposes of public protection, has imposed limits and conditions on the practice of registrant King Cheong (Steven) Lum, effective May 20, 2016, pending completion of an investigation of his pharmacy practice. Until further notice, Mr. Lum has the following limits and conditions on his practice:

1. He will be restricted from the following roles in his practice:

   1. Be an owner or manager of a pharmacy;
   2. Be a director of a corporation that owns a pharmacy; and
   3. Act as a preceptor;

    

2. He will be restricted from doing the following in relation to narcotic and controlled drugs and substances:

   1. Placing orders; 
   2. Signing wholesaler/manufacturer invoices confirming receipt of orders, or have any sort of signing authority relating to such orders; and
   3. Conducting counts and/or reconciliation of inventory;

    

3. Prior to the commencement of new employment at any pharmacy, he will inform every manager and employer of the pharmacy in which he gains employment of the limits and conditions on his license pursuant to this order, and will ensure that the pharmacy manager and employer submits a written statement to the College declaring their awareness of the limits and conditions and how the limits and conditions will be accommodated in the pharmacy.

The registrant was the pharmacy manager, director, and owner of a pharmacy, and did not fulfill the responsibilities of a pharmacy manager, director, and owner to operate a pharmacy that met legislative and practice standards. He had not established and/or enforced policies and procedures for inventory management and security and storage of narcotic and controlled drugs, enabling a grossly large quantity of narcotic and controlled medication to be lost and/or taken from the pharmacy and potentially diverted, causing potential harm to the public.

The Inquiry Committee, pursuant to section 36 of the Health Professions Act, has reached an Agreement with the pharmacist registrant to voluntarily suspend the registration as a pharmacist effective November 23, 2017. The Agreement remains in effect until further notice. The Inquiry Committee considers the Agreement necessary to protect the public. The pharmacist registrant's name has been withheld pursuant to section 39.3(4) of the Health Professions Act.

February 20, 2015

(November 23, 2017 - Registration Suspended)

Pharmacist Registrant 4 has satisfied the terms of an agreement reached with the Inquiry Committee dated April 1, 2010. Limits and conditions on pharmacist registrant’s registration as a pharmacist have now been removed. The pharmacist registrant’s name has been withheld pursuant to 39.3(4) of the Health Professions Act.

April 1, 2010

(February 20, 2015 - Limits and conditions removed)

The Inquiry Committee, pursuant to Section 36 of the Health Professions Act, has reached an agreement with pharmacist registrant to place limits and/or conditions on his registration as a pharmacist effective April 1, 2010. The agreement remains in effect until further notice. The Inquiry Committee considers the agreement necessary to protect the public. The pharmacist registrant's name has been withheld pursuant to 39.3(4) of the Health Professions Act.