Some pharmacies in Kamloops, Okanagan unable to fill prescriptions

There's no word yet on when pharmacies in Safeway, FreshCo and IGA stores in the Okanagan and Kamloops will be able to full prescriptions.

A news release issued by grocer Empire Company Limited yesterday, Nov. 7, said an “IT systems issue” is causing problems across the country but doesn't mention those issues started on the weekend.

READ MORE: Empire Co. hit by IT problems affecting pharmacies at Sobeys and other grocery stores

“The company’s grocery stores remain open to serve customers and are not experiencing significant disruptions at this time,” the news release says. “However, some in-store services are functioning intermittently or with a delay. In addition, certain of the company’s pharmacies are experiencing technical difficulties in fulfilling prescriptions.”

No update has yet been issued but, when contacted by iNFOnews.ca, one pharmacy said they are not yet operating. The pharmacist could not comment any further.

“The prescription refill service is currently undergoing maintenance, and will return shortly,” the FreshCo website in Kelowna says. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Empire did not respond to questions about the cause of the IT problem and has not said when it expects it to be resolved.

READ MORE: Empire Co. tight-lipped as IT problems affect pharmacies at Sobeys and other stores

Anne Genge, the CEO of Alexio, an Ontario-based cybersecurity company that specializes in health care, said the situation is reminiscent of the cyberattack that targeted Newfoundland and Labrador’s health system last year.

Genge says the scale of Empire's system outage and the lack of public communication from the company lead her to believe that a cyberattack may be behind the technical problems.

With about $30.5 billion in annual sales and 130,000 employees, Empire's stable of retail outlets include 1,598 stores under a number of different banners, including IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Needs, Thrifty Foods, Rachelle Berry and Bonchoix.

Empire operates 1,500 retail stores across all 10 provinces.

People in need of essential prescriptions can visit the pharmacies and get a partial extension. They’re asked to bring their empty prescription container with them.

— This story was updated at 1:32 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, with files from The Canadian Press.

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