Ipswich nurse Manyara Chimuka pleads guilty to uttering a forged document

A South East Queensland court has heard how a nurse’s sneaky prescription scheme raised alarm bells for the state health watchdog, who said she demonstrated a “complete lack of regard for the health and wellbeing of patients”.

Manyara Chimuka

A South East Queensland nurse has been banned from prescribing medications on the back of offending which a court heard demonstrated a “complete lack of regard for the health and wellbeing of patients”.

Lowood resident Manyara Chimuka, 39, pleaded guilty in Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on October 19, 2023, to uttering a forged document.

The offence occurred on January 12, 2023, at Priceline pharmacy at Riverlink Shopping Centre in North Ipswich.

Court documents reveal Chimuka, who was working as a community care nurse at the time, handed over four prescriptions which had already been filled the previous day.

The pharmacist declined to fill the script, and reported the incident to police.

A man who’s name was on three of the prescriptions told police his wife had picked them up for him on January 11, court documents reveal.

He said he had never had scripts picked up by a community care nurse.

The woman who’s name was on the fourth prescription said she had also collected her prescriptions on the 11th at a different chemist, and she also never had scripts picked up by a community care nurse.

The documents reveal Chimuka told police she had found the scripts at the Ipswich General Hospital information desk.

She said she had started her own business as a community care nurse and took the prescriptions to help the patients and hopefully get more clients.

Chimuka also said she did not notice the documents were not signed, and that she’d never done anything like that before.

However, court documents note that a doctor told police that prescriptions were either handed to the patient or left at the nurses desk, and that they were at no time left at the information desk.

The court heard how state’s health ombudsman had stated Chimuka’s actions “demonstrated a complete lack of regard for the health and wellbeing of patients who have been prescribed medication.

“As well as others who may consume medication which have not been prescribed to them by a medical practitioner.”

The health ombudsman imposed conditions on Chimuka’s registration on September 15 this year.

They ordered she must only work at Ipswich Hospital, where she must not be the most senior nurse and/or the sole nurse on any shift when practising as a registered nurse.

She was also ordered not to prescribe, possess, supply, administer, handle, dispense, access or check prescription drugs listed as having a “higher potential for misuse” such as all benzodiazepines, codeine, gabapentin and tramadol, other than when directly observed by another registered nurse.

“It’s quite clear that you’ve been given permission to practice through supervision,” Magistrate Melanie Ho noted in court.

“Which obviously ameliorates the ombudsman’s concern regarding the protective measures for public health and safety.”

Ms Ho said Chimuka’s offending was a “one off” and said she had no criminal history.

Chimuka was sentenced to six months probation, with no conviction recorded.