A CHEMIST supplied a patient with a history of depression highly addictive diazepam because he felt sorry for her, a hearing was told. Vijay Gandecha, who allegedly ran a hopelessly inadequate pharmacy in Letchworth GC, provided a week s supply of the

A CHEMIST supplied a patient with a history of depression highly addictive diazepam because he "felt sorry" for her, a hearing was told.

Vijay Gandecha, who allegedly ran a "hopelessly inadequate" pharmacy in Letchworth GC, provided a week's supply of the drug to the middle-aged woman.

Mr Gandecha admitted it was "unethical" and he was putting the unnamed woman at risk of addiction and even psychotic behaviour.

He said he took pity on Patient A because she was suffering panic attacks and feeling unwell, but conceded these were symptoms of her withdrawal from the drug.

The pharmacist also struggled with computers, and IT blunders led to the woman allegedly receiving the wrong doses of several prescribed drugs for almost a year.

Mr Gandecha said the new computer system at his pharmacy gave him a headache and he could not check what patients had been supplied with.

Errors persisted because he did not bother to check what he was repeatedly dispensing against doctor's prescriptions.

Mr Gandecha, who qualified in 1980, now faces being struck off if he is found guilty of misconduct.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society heard on Monday that Mr Gandecha ran a chaotic system at his pharmacy on the Jackmans Estate which he owned with his wife.

Fenella Morris, for the RPS, said Mr Gandecha should have checked the prescription before dispensing a week's supply of diazepam to Patient A in April 2004.

"He felt sorry for her and deliberately dispensed diazepam to her according to her past prescriptions."

When an inspector for the RPS visited Mr Gandecha's surgery later in 2004 she discovered the records for what had been dispensed to Patient A differed wildly from what she had been prescribed.

Mr Gandecha blamed the discrepancies on computer difficulties.

Dr Raj Chand, Patient A's GP, said he had phoned Mr Gandecha when he discovered what had been going on.

"He said he apologised for it and realised that he shouldn't have done it."

In a witness statement, Mr Gandecha said he had been overworked at the time and trying to sell the store which was in a vandalism-plagued estate.

Mr Gandecha, of Millfield Lane, St Ippolyts, is charged with misconduct.

The hearing continues.