Manitoba Pharmacist Fined $15K for Patient Safety Failures

A former pharmacy manager in Manitoba has been ordered to pay $15,000 following an admission of professional misconduct. Mohamed Abdelhamid, who managed a Shoppers Drug Mart in Morden, Manitoba, between September 2021 and June 2022, pleaded guilty to a lack of skill, knowledge, or judgment in his practice.

The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba initiated an investigation after a kidney transplant patient reported a two-month supply interruption of vital immunosuppressant drugs. The pharmacy's failure to provide a continued supply while awaiting refill authorization led to invasive emergency procedures to prevent kidney rejection.

Despite these efforts, the transplanted kidney sustained permanent damage. In a separate incident in 2022, Abdelhamid failed to investigate when a patient received the wrong fentanyl medication, a critical error that could have been fatal.

Further findings indicated Abdelhamid neglected to ensure pharmacy assistants directed new prescriptions for pharmacist counselling and that patient refusal of counselling was documented. He also failed to implement regular three-month inventory counts for controlled substances, investigate discrepancies, or report shortages as required.

Abdelhamid, who became a registered pharmacist in Canada in 2019 after earning his degree in Egypt in 1997, expressed remorse and cooperated with the investigation. He cited a lack of training in inventory management systems and stressful working conditions during the pandemic as contributing factors. The disciplinary panel acknowledged these challenges but emphasized that Abdelhamid, as a manager aware of company policies, had responsibilities he failed to meet.