Suk Yee Lee: Inexperienced pharmacist suspended for ‘extremely concerning’ behaviour

A young pharmacist in western Victoria lied to regulators, prescribed herself medications and messed-up customers’ orders, VCAT has heard.

A inexperienced pharmacist in western Victoria has been suspended after self-prescribing medicines and making “numerous” dispensing errors.

Suk Yee Lee, who previously worked at the Pharmasave Colac Pharmacy in Colac, was brought before VCAT on July 20 by the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

The tribunal heard the Board received a confidential notification in September 2018 alleging Ms Lee was failing to perform her duties as a pharmacist and placing the public at risk.

An investigation was launched, which culminated in Ms Lee promising to not act as a pharmacist until a final determination could be made.

She was referred to the Tribunal in December 2020, with the board asking for her to be professionally reprimanded.

The Tribunal heard that between 2016 and 2018, Lee fell “well short” of community expectations of a pharmacist, dispensing incorrect doses of medicines and breaching patient privacy.

During the same period, she also self-prescribed medicines on 11 occasions, recording the sales under the false name of “Sue Lei”.

When speaking to the Pharmacy Board, Lee claimed she was copying other pharmacists at the practice.

The Tribunal also heard she had lied when re-registering as a pharmacist in November 2015 after a three-year gap from the industry – claiming she met a requirement to have recently practised.

In a written order handed down on July 29, VCAT deputy president Heather Lambrick found she had committed “extremely concerning” incidents of professional misconduct.

“It is indefensible conduct which readily brings the broader profession into disrepute,” she wrote.

“We were also very mindful that the conduct … took place in the context of a very busy practice in which Ms Lee was clearly working extremely long hours without ideal supports in place.”

Lee was suspended from working as a pharmacist for four months, and will have to apply to the board to re-register should she want to resume practising.

“It was also clear to us that regardless of any decision made by us, Ms Lee will not be entitled to return to actual practice until she is considered safe to do so by the Board,” Ms Lambrick said.