A PHARMACIST who oversaw “extremely dirty” conditions in a Dublin pharmacy was yesterday found guilty of six allegations of poor professional performance at a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland fitness-to-practise inquiry.
Pharmacist A, who cannot be named by direction of the inquiry committee, worked at Allen’s Pharmacy, Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1, where inspectors found medicines stored in very poor conditions, including in an “extremely dirty” fridge that also contained live viral vaccines for animals.
Lucia Crimin, an inspector with the pharmaceutical society, said the dispensary area of the pharmacy had a “strong, stale odour”, was “very dirty and very dusty” and had a “dirty, sticky and dusty” carpet when she inspected it with a colleague in July 2010.
There was an “extremely dirty sink” with a domestic fridge beside it that contained out-of-date products, damp and water-damaged products, some of which were stuck together, and food. The fridge door contained 50 vials of a live veterinary viral vaccine, which should not be stored with human medicines, Ms Crimin said.
Liz Kielty, also an inspector for the society, described how she found a plastic bag in the fridge that contained medicines covered in a “sticky gunge”. She also found 80 boxes of out-of-date medicines on the shelves.
Pharmacist A, a woman in her 40s who was the supervising and superintendent pharmacist, was found guilty of allegations including failure to maintain appropriate standards of hygiene, permitting out-of-date medicines to be available for sale and failures related to record-keeping.
The pharmacist, who registered in Ireland in 2001 having qualified abroad, worked at the pharmacy from February 2002 to October 2010, when she resigned and left Ireland, the inquiry heard. She was not present at the hearing, though her sister attended.
Eileen Barrington SC, for the society, said criminal prosecutions had been brought against the owners of the pharmacy, a limited company, and fines of €3,200 had been imposed at the High Court.
JP McDowell, for Pharmacist A, said his client was not aware of the significance or responsibility she was taking on when she agreed to act as superintendent pharmacist at the premises. His client had found the owner “difficult to stand up to”.
Inquiry committee chairman Brendan McCartan said the committee would be recommending Pharmacist A be censured and have conditions attached to her registration.
