Public Notifications

(known to use the following aliases: Alejandro Farris, Alejandro Fernandez, Jensen Farris, Alistair Farris, J. Alistair Lail)

On June 26, 2013, a panel of the Discipline Committee found, pursuant to section 39(1)(c) of the Health Professions Act, Ali Asghar Laal (the “Registrant”) guilty of professional misconduct for having inappropriate personal relationships with two patients, one of which included having sexual relations, and keeping a loaded handgun hidden in the licensed pharmacy of which he was the owner and pharmacy manager. The Discipline Panel also found breach of various bylaws and practice standards in the Registrant’s practice. 

On September 6, 2013, the Discipline Panel reconvened to consider the penalty and determined that it would be in the interest of public safety to cancel the Registrant’s licence. 

Notwithstanding cancellation of his licence, the Registrant continued to hold himself out as a pharmacist and engaged in unauthorized practice at a pharmacy located in the Downtown Eastside area of Vancouver, B.C.   On November 29, 2013, the College of Pharmacists of B.C. (the “College”) brought an application for permanent injunction against the Registrant.  The Registrant attended the hearing with counsel, sought an adjournment and consented to an order (the “Injunction Order”) restraining the Registrant from using titles reserved for the pharmacy profession and practising the health profession of pharmacy in B.C., among other relief.  The Injunction Order was entered in the Registry of the Supreme Court of British Columbia on November 29, 2013.  

• Injunction Order

Notwithstanding the Injunction Order, the Registrant continued to hold himself out as a pharmacist and engaged in unauthorized practice at another pharmacy in Burnaby, B.C.  On September 21, 2015, the College brought a contempt application against the Registrant.  The Court found that the Registrant was in contempt of the Injunction Order and as a result, issued an order (the “Contempt Order”) placing the Registrant on a conditional sentence for 3 months and restricting him from employment in any pharmacy in any capacity, among other terms. The Contempt Order was entered in the Registry of the Supreme Court of British Columbia on September 21, 2015. 

• Contempt Order

Pharmacy:

Pursuant to s. 20(3) of the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act, S.B.C. 2003, c. 77 and s. 35(1)(b) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183, the Inquiry Committee made an extraordinary order to suspend the pharmacy license of Downtown Pharmacy, located at 348 Powell Street in Vancouver, pending completion of an investigation. This order is effective September 9, 2015 and was made in the interest of public safety following an inspection of the pharmacy by College inspectors, which raised serious concerns with respect to unhygienic conditions of the pharmacy, and the suitability of the premises to continue operating as a pharmacy. Examples of such conditions include, but are not limited to:

• Dirty, graffiti-filled exterior (window, walls, door) of the pharmacy
• Dirty and dilapidated interior walls, fixtures, flooring, ceiling tiles, and furniture – appearance of stains, cobwebs, dust, and peeling paint
• Mould and dirt found on the walls, fixtures, and inside of cupboards holding dispensing equipment such as graduated cylinders
• Mouse bait traps and fecal matter found within dispensary and storage area
• Old and moldy food products, such as an open package of “Pancake Mix” found in a cupboard above the dispensary sink

The suspension will be effective as of September 9, 2015 and will continue until further notice. 

Pharmacy manager:

The Inquiry Committee, pursuant to s. 35(1)(a) 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 Amarjit Kaur Singh, in that she may not be a pharmacy manager, director, or owner effective September 16, 2015, pending completion of an investigation.

The registrant was the pharmacy manager and director of Downtown Pharmacy, and did not fulfill the responsibilities of a pharmacy manager and director to operate a pharmacy that met legislative and practice standards. She allowed the pharmacy premises, where medications are prepared and dispensed, to become an unsafe and unhygienic environment, causing harm or potential harm to the public.

Pursuant to section 36 of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee has reached a Consent Agreement with Mr. Yee Kwok Henry Tung, effective September 9, 2015. This was the result of an investigation of Mr. Tung, pharmacy manager, in which he did not properly witness a Patient ingest the methadone in accordance with expected professional practice standards and policies. The investigation also identified Mr. Tung’s non-compliance with other professional practice standards and guidelines as they pertained to dispensing methadone and potentially placed patients at risk of harm. 

The Inquiry Committee considered this to be a serious matter under the Health Professions Act, and as such is published pursuant to section 39.3 of the Act.

Mr. Tung understands the seriousness of his actions in this matter and he has agreed to the following:

1. That he will no longer dispense methadone as part of patients’ methadone maintenance treatment program.
2. That if at any time in the future he wishes to dispense methadone as part of methadone maintenance treatment  program, he must receive approval from the College after meeting very specific requirements to dispense methadone.
3. That he will review relevant legislative framework documents that include Health Professions Act, (“HPA”), Bylaws, Schedule F, Part 1, Community Pharmacy Standards of Practice, in its entirety; and Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act, Bylaws, section 21 – Data Collection, Transmission of and Access to PharmaNet Data; and submit a Declaration of Understanding to the Complaints Resolution Officer that confirms his understanding and future compliance.

Christopher James Lewis has satisfied the terms of an agreement reached with the Inquiry Committee dated February 20, 2014.  Limits and conditions on Christopher Lewis’ registration as a pharmacist have now been removed.