Public Notifications

1. Nature of Action: ​The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (“CPBC”) conducted investigations into the practice of William Byron Sam (the “Registrant”), pursuant to section 33(4) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183 (“HPA”).

   The Inquiry Committee and the Registrant have agreed to resolve all matters arising from the investigations by way of a Consent Agreement under section 36(1) of the HPA.

2. Effective date: June 15, 2020

3. Name of registrant: William Byron Sam

4. Location of Practice: Vancouver, BC

5. Admissions and Acknowledgements:
   
   The Registrant has admitted and/or acknowledged the following: 

   1. The Registrant failed to respond in to correspondence from the College, including requests for information from College staff.

   2. The Registrant continued to engage in the practice of pharmacy at a time when his registration was cancelled contrary to s. 3 of the Pharmacists Regulation.

   3. The Registrant operated or permitted the operation of a pharmacy when not authorized under bylaw or by a pharmacy licence contrary to section 7(1) and (3) of the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act (“PODSA”).

   4. The Registrant sold and dispensed drugs to patients without having the correct information for the pharmacy on the label, contrary to section 9 of PODSA and section 9 of the Community Pharmacy Standards of Practice which are Part 1 of Schedule F to the HPA Bylaws. 

6. Disposition:

   The Registrant entered into a Consent Agreement with the Inquiry Committee wherein the Registrant consented to the following terms (in part):

   1. cancellation of his registration,

   2. no right to apply for reinstatement for 3 years, and
       

   3. before submitting an application for reinstatement after 3 years, he must

      • pay a fine of $25,000, and
      • at his own expense, successfully complete all of
        • the College’s Jurisprudence Examination,
        • the Canadian Pharmacy Practice Program (CP3), and
        • the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, Pharmacist Qualifying Examination – Part II (OSCE);

       

7. Rationale:

   There were previous issues with the Registrant regarding unresponsiveness to and disregard for the College and its regulatory requirements and its communications with him.

   The Registrant knowingly engaged in the practice of pharmacy at a time when he was not registered to do so.  He also knowingly operating an unlicensed pharmacy, contrary to the directions of the College.  Serious public risk factors were present within the pharmacy.

   The Inquiry Committee considered the terms of the Consent Agreement necessary to protect the public, as well as send a clear message of deterrence to the profession.

June 6, 2019
(June 15, 2020 - Registration Cancelled)

Pursuant to section 35(1)(b) of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee has ordered a suspension of the registration of registrant William Byron Sam pending completion of an investigation, effective June 6, 2019. The Registrant will not be able to practice pharmacy in the province of British Columbia while his registration is suspended. The Inquiry Committee considered the suspension necessary to protect the public.

The Inquiry Committee was satisfied on the information before it that there is a real risk to the public should this interim order not be put in place. The Registrant was knowingly operating an unlicensed pharmacy, contrary to the directions of the College. Serious public risk indicators were present within the pharmacy. The Registrant continued to display an inexplicable pattern of responsiveness to and disregard for the College and its regulatory requirements and its communications with him.

Note: Suspensions ordered by the Inquiry Committee under section 35(1)(b) of the Health Professions Act are made to protect the public during an investigation or pending a hearing of the Discipline Committee. Orders made under this section relate to matters which are and remain unproven unless admitted by a registrant or determined by the Discipline Committee.

1. Nature of Action: ​The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacist of British Columbia (the “College”) conducted an investigation into the practice of Harpreet Deol (the “Registrant”), pursuant to section 33(4) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183. The Inquiry Committee and the Registrant have agreed to resolve all matters arising from the investigation by way of a Consent Agreement under section 36(1) of the Health Professions Act.

2. Effective date: February 5, 2020

3. Name of registrant: Harpreet Singh Deol​

4. Location of Practice: Abbotsford, BC

5. Admissions and Acknowledgements:

   Between February 2018 and August 2019, the Registrant took unauthorized medications for his own personal use from the pharmacy for which he was director and pharmacy manager. The medications taken included, but were not limited to, 11,000 tablets and 116,000 millilitres of narcotic drug substances and 200 tablets and 7 vials of controlled drug substances, both of which require an authorized prescription.

   The Registrant did not process or bill these medications on PharmaNet and these medications were reportedly not provided to any other persons. All narcotic and controlled drug inventory was ordered and managed under the Registrant’s credentials and may have contributed to these losses going undetected.

   A College inspection conducted on August 7^th, 2019 identified additional deficiencies in the Registrant’s management of the pharmacy and the pharmacy’s overall practice which included, but were not limited to, inaccurate dispensing of Methadone, inadequate/incomplete documentation, a lack of policies and procedures, inadequate record keeping and management of narcotic inventory, and inadequate pharmacy security

6. Disposition:

   The Registrant entered into a Consent Agreement with the College’s Inquiry Committee, wherein the Registrant consented to terms that include (but are not limited to) the following:

   1. To suspend his registration as a pharmacist for a total of 90 days, ending September 9, 2020;

   2. To not be pharmacy manager, director, or officer of a pharmacy for a period of three years from September 10, 2020 to September 9, 2023;
       

   3. To not be a preceptor or supervisor of pharmacy students or international pharmacy graduates for a period of three years from September 10, 2020 to September 9, 2023;

   4. In relation to narcotic and controlled drugs, to not place and receive orders, destroy expired inventory, or have signing authority relating to the ordering of such substances for a period of three years from September 10, 2020 to September 9, 2023;

   5. To complete and successfully pass an ethics course for healthcare professionals;

   6. To complete and successfully pass training courses pertaining to the provision of Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) to patients and the management of a community pharmacy; and

   7. To pay a fine of $2,500.

7. Rationale:

   The Inquiry Committee considered that in this case, in addition to the serious misconduct, the Registrant placed himself and his patients at significant risk of harm when he took unauthorized medications for personal use and continued to practice in the capacity of a pharmacist. His actions were a serious contravention of standards in the Code of Ethics, and compromised the public’s trust in the pharmacy profession as a whole.

   The Inquiry Committee therefore determined that the Registrant required serious remediation and deterrence regarding his conduct. After also considering significant mitigating factors, the Inquiry Committee considered the terms of the Consent Agreement appropriate to protect the public, as well as send a clear message of deterrence to the profession.

Nature of Action: Pursuant to section 35(1)(b) of the Health Professions Act R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183 (“HPA”), the Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) has ordered a suspension of the registration of registrant Shaun Ross Wiebe pending completion of an investigation, unless he provides medical evidence from an addiction medicine specialist, satisfactory to the College, that he is fit to resume practice, or he successfully applies to the Inquiry Committee to cancel the suspension under section 35(4) of the HPA.

The registrant will not be able to practice pharmacy in the province of British Columbia while his registration is suspended.

Effective Date: December 27, 2019

Reasons: The Inquiry Committee was satisfied that there is a prima facie evidence that the registrant suffers from a substance addiction that renders him unfit to practice at this time. The Inquiry Committee was of the view that the registrant’s continued practice poses a risk to the public, and that this risk cannot be addressed at this time with conditions or limits. Therefore, nothing short of suspension at this time will adequately protect the public. 

The Inquiry Committee has reinstated the pharmacy technician registrant’s registration which had previously been suspended for an indefinite period on September 1, 2018. Pursuant to section 32.2(4)(b)(i) of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee has reached an Agreement with the pharmacy technician registrant whereby the pharmacy technician registrant consented to terms including, but not limited to, the following:

1. To comply with any and all recommendations and treatments prescribed or directed by the registrant’s physicians;
    
2. To comply with every term of a routine medical monitoring program for a minimum of 36 consecutive months;
    
3. To be restricted from handling, dispensing and packaging narcotics, controlled substances and sedatives, but not to be restricted from to be working in the same area and/or room where medications are stored, supplied and dispensed by other employees; 
    
4. To be restricted from disposing or dealing with wastage or breakage of or otherwise handle any narcotics, controlled substances and sedatives;
    
5. To be permanently restricted to working daytime hours with the latest time being 11:00pm on certain days;
    
6. To ensure all managers and employers, with whom the registrant gains employment, are aware of the registrant’s limits and conditions on the registrant’s registration pursuant to the Agreement;
    
7. To inform the College of the registrant’s place of employment as a pharmacy technician and report any changes to the location or management within 48 hours of such change; and
    
8. To comply with the physician’s recommended schedule for a gradual return to work. 

September 1, 2018
(November 22, 2019 - Registration Reinstated)

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