Pharmacy Daily | Registration cancelled over S8 abuse

NSW-BASED pharmacist, Mohammed Hallani, has been barred from seeking to renew his professional registration for at least 18 months, after being found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct by the Civil and Administrative Tribunal NSW.

The Health Care Complaints Commission alleged that while employed as an intern pharmacist at TerryWhite Chemmart Penrith, Hallani accessed Schedule 8 medications from the pharmacy for his personal use in 2019.

Following the termination of his employment a complaint was sent to the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit (PRU) of NSW Health, claiming Hallani had misappropriated hydromorphone oral tablets, morphine injections, methadone oral syrup and hydromorphone injections, during his time at the pharmacy.

"CCTV footage is alleged to have disclosed the practitioner 'suspiciously accessing the S8 safe unsupervised and taking items'," the Tribunal noted.

"Between 19 and 29 Aug 2019 the PRU discovered that the practitioner had presented prescriptions purported to be prescriptions signed by his father, Dr Hisham Hallani, a cardiologist.

"Investigations by the PRU, including contact with Dr Hallani, revealed the prescriptions to have been forged by the practitioner."

The Tribunal heard that the pharmacist suffered a fractured vertebra when he was in his second year of university, which resulted him being bed-bound for six months, and led to him being provided pain management, which "began conservatively, but escalated due to his excruciating pain", eventually developing an opioid dependence.

The 29-year-old pharmacist also presented a forged report from a radiologist to a number of GPs to obtain prescriptions for endone, which resulted in Hallani being referred to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

The Tribunal noted that Hallani did not dispute any of the complaints made against him and "stated that he is remorseful for his actions".

"He also explained that whilst he had always wanted to work as a health provider that he did not see himself resuming his profession as a pharmacist at the present time as he did not trust himself to fulfil that role," the Tribunal reported.

Hallani's registration has been cancelled for a minimum period of 18 months.