Complaints against registered pharmacists

Things to note prior to submitting a complaint

If you have concerns that a registered pharmacist has not acted in a professional manner, you can seek help from the Singapore Pharmacy Council (SPC).

While there is no requirement that you attempt to resolve the matter with the registered pharmacist and/or institution first, our experience suggests that many complaints can be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties via an informal resolution of the matter with the registered pharmacist and/or institution concerned.

The types of issues concerning pharmacists that SPC will handle include:

1. serious professional misconduct;

2. performance impaired by ill health; and

3. cases where the pharmacist was convicted in court.

Submitting a complaint

To file a complaint, you will require:

1. A letter of complaint stating:

   • Name and address of complainant;

   • Name and practising address of pharmacist in question;

   • Details of what, in your view, he/ she has done wrong (i.e. the allegations); and

   • Date/s when the event took place

2. A Statutory Declaration Form

• Under the Pharmacists Registration Act (“PRA”), a complaint from the public must be supported by a Statutory Declaration.

• A statutory declaration is a statement made to declare something to be true. The statutory declaration has to be made before a Commissioner for Oaths. You may check the Commissioner for Oaths directory of the Singapore Academy of Law. You can also download the Statutory Declaration Form [PDF, 249 KB] here. Failure to complete the Statutory Declaration Form correctly may render your complaint invalid.Note that complainants who make false declaration are liable to be punished under the Oaths and Declarations Act (Chapter 211).    

3. All relevant supporting documents.

SPC reserves the right to reject submissions which lack the required documents.  Please send the completed documents to:

Chairman, Complaints Panel

Singapore Pharmacy Council

81 Kim Keat Road

NKF Centre, #09-00

Singapore 328836

What happens next?

Every complaint is taken seriously.  Once your statutory declaration is received, a Complaints Committee (“CC”) will be appointed to investigate the complaint made against the registered pharmacist.  The CC is an independent committee comprising a Council member as chairperson, two registered pharmacists and a layperson.

Preliminary inquiry by the CC usually takes at least 3 months. For more complex complaints, preliminary inquiry may take more than 6 months.

After the CC completes its investigations, it may:

1. Dismiss the complaint;

2. Issue the pharmacist with a letter of advice or a letter of warning;

3. Order that the inquiry be held by the Health Committee (“HC”) if the complaint, information or evidence touches upon the physical or mental fitness of the registered pharmacist to practise; or

4. Order for a formal inquiry to be held by a Disciplinary Committee (“DC”). The Council shall immediately appoint a DC which shall hear and investigate the complaint or matter. Inquiry by the DC usually takes at least 6 months. For more complex complaints, inquiry may take more than 1 year.

As all proceedings before the CC, HC and DC are confidential, we seek your understanding that you will NOT receive periodic updates on the status of the investigations.  A letter or an email will be sent to you informing of the outcome of the investigations when completed. 

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you may, within 30 days of being notified of the decision of the CC, appeal to the Minister for Health whose decision shall be final.

If you would like help or more information about filing complaints against a pharmacist, please contact the SPC secretariat at 64785068