A man entered Dispharma in Dudley, West Midlands, last week (July 13), at around 1pm and proceeded to act aggressively towards staff while asking for medication, pharmacist Kamran Khan told C+D the day after the incident occurred.

Mr Khan told the patient he had been serving to vacate the pharmacy and asked his two staff members to shelter in the kitchen area while he distracted the patient and one of his colleagues phoned the police, he explained.

The patient was then taken unwell and “collapsed”, so he put them into the recovery position. “As a pharmacist, you have a duty of care,” he said.

West Midlands Police told C+D that officers arrived at the scene to see the patient having a “serious medical episode”.

Mr Khan said he “checked [the patient] out to make sure he was okay” after the police arrived.

West Midlands Police confirmed that the patient was subsequently treated by paramedics and “taken to hospital for further treatment”.

“Anything could have happened”

“It’s just a surreal experience,” Mr Khan said. “I’ve never experienced anything [like this] in my life before. I’ve got kids, I’ve got a wife. Anything could have happened to me.”

He has experienced trouble sleeping following the event, he added.

“These incidents can happen anywhere, but you don’t expect to have to go to work and it take place in a professional environment,” Mr Khan said.