Earlier this month, two pharmacies in Saskatchewan, Canada, were fined a total of $43,000 after it was discovered that between the two pharmacies, they had misfilled roughly 20 prescriptions over the past few years. According to one local news source, regulators found several errors, including filling prescriptions for medication that was no longer prescribed, providing the wrong doses of a medication, providing pill packets with missing pills, improper labeling, and even two cases where a patient was given “mystery pills” that the pharmacist could not identify even after the error was pointed out.
Apparently, one of the pharmacy’s managers was cited for being an “absentee manager” because she was not present on a daily basis and allowed her name to be used in order for the pharmacy to keep open operations. That pharmacist was fined $8,500 and ordered not to practice in the province for two years. Additional failures were cited, including employing poorly trained assistants, not implementing a tracking system for errors and close calls, several lost or misplaced prescriptions, and failing to provide a pharmacist behind the counter during business hours. The combined effects of these errors resulted in at least 16 patients getting the wrong medication altogether.
In response to these allegations, the pharmacies told reporters that they were going through a time of high staff turnover and had to rely on temporary employees until they were able to hire permanent employees. A spokesperson for the pharmacies indicated that both pharmacies are fully staffed, and every prescription is double-checked by the pharmacist on duty.
Errors in Maryland Pharmacies
In Maryland, all pharmacists have an affirmative duty to provide their patients with accurate prescriptions. When a pharmacist fails to live up to this legal duty, their patients can suffer terrible consequences. Thankfully, Maryland law allows for the aggrieved parties of a pharmacy error to seek justice through a personal injury action against the allegedly negligent pharmacist.
As the article discussed above makes clear, some pharmacies are better than others when it comes to accuracy, diligence, and professional ethics. To learn more about pharmacy error cases in Maryland, speak with a dedicated Maryland personal injury attorney.
Have You Been the Victim of a Pharmacist’s Negligence?
If you or a loved one has recently been the victim of a prescription error, you may be entitled to monetary compensation from the negligent pharmacist as well as the pharmacy that employs him. Of course, pharmacists and pharmacies rarely admit fault and voluntarily offer to fairly compensate an accident victim. Instead, the more common scenario is one where they fight tooth and nail against the allegations. The dedicated Maryland personal injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have the dedication and experience necessary to effectively bring a case against a negligent pharmacist. They have decades of experience representing injured Marylanders in all kinds of personal injury cases, including those arising out of a pharmacist’s error. Call 410-654-3600 today to set up a free consultation.
More Blog Posts:
Mother Catches Pharmacy Error Before Providing Medication to Her Five-Month-Old Son, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, July 29, 2015.
Causes and Effects of Pharmacy Errors, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog,August 14, 2015.