Junee pharmacist's licence suspended following guilty verdict

Junee residents may soon be limited to only one pharmacy to receive medication after Junee Discount Pharmacy’s sole chemist was found guilty of breaching professional practice. Photo: Tempura.

Junee residents may soon be left with a single pharmacy able to dispense their medications as the sole chemist from Junee Discount Pharmacy has seen his licence suspended.

Chemist Michael Ezzat Helal Azzer will be unable to distribute medication for three months beginning 5 July after being found guilty of four counts of unsatisfactory professional conduct and one count of professional misconduct.

While working at Christopher Discount Chemist Kogarah in Sydney’s south between 2017 and 2018, Mr Azzer was the subject of several complaints which included the excessive distribution of prescription drugs to several patients.

The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) tribunal overseeing the case found that in several instances Mr Azzer dispensed excessive amounts of Schedule 8 and Schedule 4D drugs that they deemed could have caused “death or serious harm if they had actually been consumed”.

In one instance it was alleged Mr Azzer concurrently dispensed two supplies of alprazolam and two supplies of diazepam to a patient on the same date in 2018.

Both drugs are benzodiazepine sedatives used to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders and insomnia.

The HCCC found Mr Azzer:

• Inappropriately and excessively dispensed Schedule 8 and 4D drugs.
• Concurrently dispensed benzodiazepines from two different prescriptions to the same patient.
• Inappropriately dispensed psychostimulants.
• Inappropriately dispensed Schedule 8 drugs where the prescription was not compliant with legislation.
• Inappropriately dispensed Schedule 4D drugs where the prescriptions did not specify the interval of supply.

Mr Azzer’s licence suspension has been suspended for 30 days to allow him to find another chemist to operate at Junee Discount Pharmacy for the duration of his three-month suspension.

To view the full list of complaints, visit the Health Care Complaints Commission report here.