Joelle Mbamy, July 2018.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

A Penticton pharmacist who had previously been suspended and fined $20,000 has been barred from practicing for a year following another suspension.

The College of Pharmacists of B.C. has suspended Joelle Mbamy for 12 months starting July 18.

According to a July 14 College decision, Mbamy, who owns the Sunrise Pharmacy in Penticton, failed to follow protocol when dispensing a prescription in September 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," the decision reads.

Mbamy has been in trouble with the regulator before and in 2020 was fined $20,000 and suspended for three months following an inspection.

The inspection found that Mbamy had dispensed opioids incorrectly, dispensed medication without a prescription, and failed to store methadone properly along with keeping inaccurate paperwork.

In 2017, a teenage employee of the pharmacy died of an overdose. No charges were laid and the death wasn't deemed suspicious.

Mbamy signed a consent resolution admitting to the recent incident and accepting her punishment.

"(Mbamy) 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," the College ruled.

"Between 2017 and 2020, the Registrant had been sanctioned for other matters by the Inquiry Committee. Despite this, (Mbamy) has continued a pattern of non-adherence to practice standards. Her prior history, pattern of poor professional judgment, and demonstration of a disregard for the fundamentals of pharmacy practice is considered significant professional misconduct... and warranted the significant remediation and sanctions," the decision reads.

And it is not just pharmacy-related issues that get Mbamy in trouble.

In 2018 she was convicted of cruelty to animals and fined $1,000 for her ongoing neglect of her three dogs.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022