Public Notifications

1. Nature of Action: The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (“CPBC”) conducted an investigation into the practice of now former registrant Amandeep Singh Khun-Khun (the “Former Registrant”), pursuant to section 33(4) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183. The Inquiry Committee and the Former 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: April 13, 2021

3. Name of registrant: Amandeep Singh Khun-Khun

4. Location of Practice: N/A

5. Admissions and acknowledgements:

   Between April 2014 and October 2017, the Former Registrant used a physician’s name and license number to create prescription authorizations for himself, without that physician’s knowledge or consent. Records indicated that the Former Registrant used the physician’s name to create nine prescription authorizations totalling 75 dispensed transactions. The prescription authorizations included Schedule I drugs, Over-The-Counter supplements, and medical supplies. The Former Registrant was not in possession of a valid order from a physician at the time of creating and/or dispensing these prescriptions.

   The Former Registrant was also found to have prescribed and dispensed drug therapy for himself. Records identified that the Former Registrant’s PharmaNet profile included 1,010 entries where he was both the receiving patient and the dispensing pharmacist, and 159 entries indicating he was both the receiving patient, dispensing pharmacist and authorizing practitioner.

6. Disposition:

   The Former Registrant entered into a Consent Agreement with the Inquiry Committee, wherein the Former 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 1825 days (5 years) to commence immediately on the date any other previous suspensions are completed;

   2. To have a letter of reprimand placed on CPBC’s register permanently; and

   3. To pay a fine of $15,000.

7. Rationale:

   The Inquiry Committee considered that in this case, the Former Registrant’s conduct was a serious breach of legislative standards and the CPBC’s Code of Ethics. The Inquiry Committee determined the Former Registrant’s use of the physician’s name and license number without the physician’s consent violated the trust that healthcare practitioners place in each other when serving patients. CPBC registrants are required to act with honesty and integrity in all professional relationships, and the Former Registrant’s actions were contrary to this expectation.

   Further, the Inquiry Committee determined the Former Registrant’s self-prescribing and self-dispensing of treatment was concerning and could have placed his own health at risk. The Inquiry Committee noted that CPBC registrants are prohibited from self-prescribing and self-dispensing treatment unless in extenuating circumstances. The Inquiry Committee was not satisfied the Former Registrant’s circumstances met the threshold to self-prescribe and self-dispense treatment.

   The Inquiry Committee determined the Former Registrant’s actions were unprofessional, unethical and compromised trust in the pharmacy profession.

   The Inquiry Committee therefore determined that the Former Registrant required serious remediation and deterrence regarding his conduct. 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.

June 12, 2019

1. Nature of Action: The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) conducted an investigation into the practice of now former registrant Amandeep Singh Khun-Khun (the “Former Registrant”), pursuant to section 33(4) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183. The Inquiry Committee and the Former 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: June 12, 2019

3. Name of registrant: Amandeep Singh Khun-Khun

4. Location of Practice: Vancouver, BC

5. Admissions and Acknowledgements:

   Between January 1, 2014 and November 5, 2017, over 15,000 transactions for over-the-counter (“OTC”) and/or vitamin products were processed on a daily or weekly basis on the PharmaNet records of seven individuals. These seven individuals were not prescribed and had not received any of the OTC and/or vitamin products processed on their PharmaNet records. Most of the seven individuals stated that they had not willingly consented to having these transactions on their PharmaNet records.

   These transactions all originated from a pharmacy where the Former Registrant was the pharmacy manager and owner.

   The Former Registrant admitted that he had directed pharmacy assistants to process transactions weekly on PharmaNet in order to artificially inflate the pharmacy’s prescription count. The pharmacy assistants used the registration numbers of various pharmacist registrants as the dispensing pharmacist and/or prescriber for each transaction. The majority of pharmacy registrants stated that their registration numbers were used without their willing consent or knowledge. Many of these transactions were also backdated.

   The Former Registrant’s actions and direction enabled the inappropriate access and use of PharmaNet records, enabled the inappropriate access and use of pharmacist registration numbers, and caused PharnaNet records to be inaccurate and not current.

6. Disposition:

   The Former Registrant entered into a Consent Agreement with the College’s Inquiry Committee, wherein the Former Registrant consented to the following terms: 

   1. To suspend his registration as a pharmacist for a total of 540 days, to commence upon his reinstatement to Full Pharmacist status;

   2. To not be a pharmacy manager, director, owner (direct or indirect), shareholder, and preceptor for pharmacy students for a period of five years from the date that his suspension ends;
       

   3. To successfully pass the College’s Jurisprudence Exam;

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

   5. To pay a $30,000.00 fine.

7. Rationale:

   The Inquiry Committee considered that the Former Registrant’s intentional directing of weekly transactions which enabled the processing of over 15,000 false prescriptions on PharmaNet involved significant breaches of confidentiality and trust. The fact that his actions led to an inflated prescription count, from which the Inquiry Committee believed he gained financial and personal benefit, made his conduct even more serious.

   His actions were considered serious contraventions of legislation involving use and protection of personal information, appropriate use and access of PharmaNet and patient records, supervision of pharmacy assistants, and his role as a pharmacy manager. He also contravened standards of the Code of Ethics involving protecting and promoting the well-being of patients, benefitting society, committing to personal and professional integrity, and participating in ethical business practices. The Inquiry Committee also considered that the Former Registrant had previously consented to remedial undertakings to fully comply with ethical requirements, and he had breached these undertakings for this current matter. The totality of the Former Registrant’s serious, intentional, and repeated conduct amounted to significant professional misconduct, and the Inquiry Committee considered that the Former Registrant required the above-referred-to remediation and deterrence in order to come into compliance.

   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. Inappropriate access and use of personal information, especially without consent, compromises the public’s trust in the pharmacy profession as a whole. At all times, registrants must uphold legislative requirements and ethical obligations to appropriately access, use, and protect personal information.

1. Nature of Action: The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) conducted an investigation into the practice of Rauvan Singh Sidhu (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: April 6, 2021

3. Name of registrant: Rauvan Singh Sidhu

4. Location of Practice: Surrey, BC

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

Between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014, while he was the pharmacy manager, owner, and director of a pharmacy, he billed Blood Glucose Test Strips (“BGTS”) on the PharmaNet records of multiple patients for which the purchase invoices for BGTS were insufficient to support the quantities billed. In making these false billings, the Registrant created inaccurate PharmaNet records.

Furthermore, the Registrant initially provided false information to PharmaCare auditors when they requested information regarding his BGTS purchases for the purposes of a PharmaCare audit.

6. Disposition:

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

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

   2. To have a letter of reprimand placed permanently on the College register;

   3. To be suspended as a registrant of the College for a period of 90 consecutive days, commencing June 7, 2021 to September 4, 2021; and

   4. To not be a pharmacy manager, direct or indirect owner of a pharmacy, and/or a preceptor for pharmacy students for a period of one year (April 6, 2021 to April 5, 2022).

7. Rationale:

   The Inquiry Committee considered that the Registrant did not act with honesty and integrity, and that his conduct would reasonably be regarded by registrants and members of the public as professional misconduct. The misconduct of the Registrant was of a serious nature and that Registrant should have known that his conduct was unbecoming of a pharmacist.

   The Inquiry Committee considered the terms of the Consent Agreement necessary to protect the public, to deter the Registrant from similar conduct in his future practice, and to send a clear message of deterrence to the profession.

1. Nature of Action: The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) conducted an investigation into the practice of Pooja Bagry (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: March 3, 2021

3. Name of registrant: Pooja Bagry

4. Location of Practice: Surrey, BC

5. Admissions and Acknowledgements:

   The Registrant has admitted and/or acknowledged the following:

   Between August 1, 2015 and July 31, 2017, while she was the pharmacy manager, owner, and director of a pharmacy, multiple practice errors were discovered at the pharmacy. The following were significant contributing factors to these errors:
    

   1. The Registrant did not actively participate in the day-to-day management of the pharmacy during her pregnancies and maternity leaves;

   2. The Registrant was absent from the pharmacy for three months while on maternity leave, but she did not notify the College of this absence;

   3. The Registrant failed to adequately supervise her pharmacy assistant, and failed to implement adequate procedures, checks, and controls to ensure accurate and safe delivery of community pharmacy services by her pharmacy assistant;

   4. The Registrant did not ensure that all patient records, invoices, and documentation were retained in the pharmacy;

   5. The Registrant did not appear to have established adequate procedures for inventory management; and

   6. The Registrant did not ensure that there was an ongoing quality management program at the pharmacy that was sufficiently effective to maintain and enforce policies and procedures to comply with all legislation applicable to the operation of a community pharmacy.

   During the same time period, the Registrant personally made errors during the processing of 18 prescriptions on PharmaNet.
    

6. Disposition:

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

   1. To have a letter of reprimand placed permanently on the College register;

   2. To not be a pharmacy manager and/or a preceptor for pharmacy students for a period of one year (March 3, 2021 to March 2, 2022);

   3. To pay a fine of $1000.00;

   4. To successfully pass the College’s Jurisprudence Exam; and

   5. To successfully complete and pass the “BC Community Pharmacy Manager Training Program” offered by the British Columbia Pharmacy Association.

7. Rationale:

   The Inquiry Committee considered it a serious matter that during the relevant time period, the Registrant demonstrated a significant lack of managerial responsibility, which contributed to the occurrence of multiple practice errors and potential patient harm. As the pharmacy manager, the Registrant was responsible for ensuring that pharmacy staff complied with applicable legislation and standards of pharmacy practice at all times.

   The Inquiry Committee considered the terms of the Consent Agreement necessary to protect the public, to prevent and deter the Registrant from similar issues occurring in her future practice, and to send a clear message of deterrence to the profession.

1. Nature of Action: The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) conducted an investigation into the practice of now former registrant Rina Serjeant (the “Former Registrant”), pursuant to section 33(4) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183.

   The Inquiry Committee and the Former 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: January 7, 2021

3. Name of registrant: Rina Serjeant

4. Location of Practice: N/A

5. Admissions and Acknowledgements:

   Multiple registrants were involved in this matter.

   The College’s investigation found that between January 2012 and June 2018, over 20,000 false transactions were processed on patient PharmaNet records at two pharmacies, where the Registrant had worked as a pharmacy manager at one of the pharmacies. These transactions were considered false because:

   • Schedule I (prescription) medications associated with these transactions had not been authorized or prescribed by the prescriber associated with each transaction;
   • Medications associated with these transactions, which included Schedule I, Over-The-Counter (“OTC) medications and vitamins, were not actually dispensed to the “patient” in each case;
   • Transactions were processed as one-day supplies or seven-day supplies, for the sole purpose of artificially inflating prescription counts; and
   • Transactions were processed not for the purpose of providing health care and were not processed with each patient’s voluntary consent.

   
   The College’s investigation also found that during the same time period, over 10,000 transactions were processed on patient PharmaNet records for medications that were actually authorized but processed as one-day supplies or seven-day supplies when there was no clinical indication to do so. The medications for these transactions were not actually dispensed to the patient on a daily or weekly basis, making each patient’s PharmaNet records inaccurate and not current. These transactions were processed in this manner for the sole purpose of artificially inflating prescription counts.

   The “patients” whose PharmaNet records were affected were all either current or former employees of the two pharmacies, or family members of former employees of the two pharmacies. Reportedly, the owner of the two pharmacies had directed for transactions to be processed in the above manner in order to artificially inflate prescription counts at both pharmacies.

6. The Registrant's Involvement and Acknowledgements:

   Regarding the Former Registrant’s involvement in this matter, the Inquiry Committee considered it substantiated, and the Former Registrant has acknowledged, that:

   1. On the PharmaNet record of her colleague, her name was associated with false PharmaNet transactions for vitamins and supplements, as the “prescriber” of these vitamins and supplements. The Former Registrant’s signature was on the prescription hardcopies of these transactions, meaning that she had checked these prescriptions before the hardcopies had been filed away;

   2. The majority of these transactions had been backdated, meaning that the transaction records were created on a date later than the date that appears on PharmaNet. The Former Registrant’s signature appeared on the prescription hardcopies of the backdated transactions, meaning that she knew, or ought to have known, that the transactions had been backdated;

   3. She processed medications on PharmaNet for herself;

   4. She enabled the inappropriate use of personal health information and the creation of inaccurate PharmaNet records, placing her colleague at risk of harm, in case their PharmaNet record ever needed to be accessed for legitimate medical reasons;

   5. She failed to report to the College or to another person of authority regarding the improper practices occurring at the pharmacy, even though she knew that these practices were improper; and

   6. As pharmacy manager, she enabled the false transactions on patient PharmaNet records, did not set or enforce policies and procedures at the pharmacy to ensure compliance with practice standards, and did not actively participate in the day-to-day management of the pharmacy.

7. Disposition

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

   1. To pay a $3000.00 fine;
       
   2. To have a letter of reprimand placed permanently on the College register;
       
   3. If she reinstates her registration to Full Pharmacist status, upon reinstatement:
       
      1. To successfully complete and pass an ethics course for healthcare professionals within two years. If she fails to complete this within the specified time period, her registration will be suspended for a period of 60 days;
          
      2. To appear before the Inquiry Committee for a verbal reprimand;
          
      3. To not be a pharmacy manager and/or a preceptor for pharmacy students for a period of 2 years;
          
      4. To successfully pass the College’s Jurisprudence Exam; and
          
      5. To successfully complete and pass the “BC Community Pharmacy Manager Training Program” offered by the British Columbia Pharmacy Association.
          

8. Rationale:

   The Former Registrant’s actions were considered serious contraventions of legislation involving pharmacy practice standards, the appropriate access, use and protection of personal health information and PharmaNet records, and her role as a pharmacy manager. Her misconduct placed others at risk of harm. The Former Registrant also contravened standards of the Code of Ethics involving protecting and promoting the well-being of patients, benefitting society, committing to personal and professional integrity, participating in ethical business practices, and conflicts of interest.

   In determining an appropriate disposition for the Former Registrant, the Inquiry Committee considered the Former Registrant’s report of feeling pressured by her employer (the pharmacy owner) to commit these actions, and that she personally did not stand to gain financially from what occurred.

   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. Inappropriate access and use of personal health information compromises the public’s trust in the pharmacy profession as a whole. At all times, registrants must uphold legislative requirements and ethical obligations to appropriately access, use and protect personal health information.