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Police nab bogus pharmacist

News
Police in Chinamhora last week swooped on a suspected 60-year-old bogus pharmacist and arrested him for dispensing unregistered drugs at his illegal home clinic in Nyamande village. Oskar Wurmsdobler appeared in court yesterday following his arrest last Friday. It is believed some of the unregistered drugs he allegedly dispensed to his unsuspecting patients were obtained […]

Police in Chinamhora last week swooped on a suspected 60-year-old bogus pharmacist and arrested him for dispensing unregistered drugs at his illegal home clinic in Nyamande village.

Oskar Wurmsdobler appeared in court yesterday following his arrest last Friday.

It is believed some of the unregistered drugs he allegedly dispensed to his unsuspecting patients were obtained from Europe.

It is alleged Wurmsdobler illegally treated sick villagers after diagnosing them of different ailments for which he provided drugs through his unregistered pharmacy.

Police officers and health officials pounced on the 60-year-old man and recovered 160 small bottles of vial, 200 satchets of powdered drugs and some capsules of various types.

The State alleges the recovered drugs were inscribed in a foreign language, raising concern on whether patients were given correct dosages.

Wurmsdobler was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Anita Tshuma facing a charge of contravening Section 124 (1) (b) of the Health Professions Act which criminalises unregistered persons practicing as or representing themselves as pharmacists.

He was remanded in custody to April 10 after prosecutor Tapiwa Kasema opposed bail and requested the Department of Immigration to confirm Wurmsdobler’s residency status.

Kasema presented that between January 2006 and February 2012, Wurmsdobler who despite not being a registered pharmacist, allegedly took possession of pharmaceutical drugs obtained from Europe.

It is alleged he stored the drugs at his village home and at the same time operated a private clinic practising as a pharmacist.

Following a tip-off, police officers and health officials at Makumbi Mission Hospital raided Wurmsdobler’s residence and recovered various drugs.