Excellence in Patient Care Award
Safouh El Rayes
Pharmacy Manager & Owner
Point Grey Pharmacy
Vancouver
Breakfast — Cereal. One banana. Twelve walnuts.
At half-past six in the morning, pharmacist Safouh El Rayes prepares for the day. By quarter to seven, he has packed his lunch — artisan walnut, cream cheese, and sliced avocado. Fuel.
Originally from Syria, El Rayes studied pharmacy in Italy before moving to Canada in 1975. He began his career as a pharmacy assistant at London Drugs and, over the next 17 years, rose to operations manager for British Columbia and Alberta. In 1992, he purchased Point Grey Pharmacy in Vancouver, where he’s served as proprietor since.
He reaches the double-glass doors of his store by 7:45 a.m. By the time the first customer walks through the door at 9 a.m., El Rayes is beaming.
“We open the store — people walk in and I’m so happy to see them. We’ll chat. Sometimes they walk in just to have a conversation, and to tell us what is happening in their day. I love people, and we pharmacists are so lucky to have our patients come to visit us,” he said.
El Rayes has always surrounded himself with people. He grew up in a family of eight siblings, and some of his fondest childhood memories include running through the neighbourhood to ask what each of his neighbours was having for lunch or dinner. He made lists and repeated the process daily.
“It’s the same for my customers. I love them and I am grateful that they are going out of their way to come to my pharmacy. In return, I always want to make sure they are receiving the best care, the right prescriptions, and that they understand their medications,” he said.
His patients love him for it, too. No fewer than 42 patients, colleagues, physicians and + community members wrote letters supporting his 2025 Pharmacy Excellence Award nomination. They shared stories about how he personally delivers medications to patients, how he welcomed a refugee family into his home for Christmas dinner, how he keeps spare belongings for seniors at his pharmacy in case they lock themselves out of their homes, and how he uses his keen memory to recall patients’ medication profiles and personal details about their lives.
"I love people, and we pharmacists are so lucky to have our patients come to visit us,” says Safouh El Rayes.
“It’s the people who give me energy; it’s the environment and it’s our staff that make the difference. And when your team looks at you, and they see how you treat every patient as if they are a friend, as if they are a family member. that’s how the whole team will also treat every patient.”
A year before the pandemic, the lease for El Rayes' pharmacy expired, and the property owner decided to sell the building. El Rayes chose to relocate the pharmacy to an available unit next door. After an eight-month application and permitting process with the city, he received approval. By then, it was almost Christmas.
“We had so much stuff in the old store, and I wasn’t sure how I would move it all. One of my customers started helping me advertise a sale — soaps, shampoos, makeup, small items for Christmas presents,” he said. “People were filling their arms. It gave me again the impression that Canadians are amazing and reminds me why I love this country so much.”
Meet the team at Point Grey Pharmacy in Vancouver.
The coming year, 2026, will mark his 50th year practicing pharmacy in British Columbia. Much has changed in that time — not just in the pharmacist’s scope of practice, but also in the culture of today’s world, and the tools available in modern pharmacy practice.
“The younger generation of pharmacists are lucky because the scope of the profession has changed completely. The sky is the limit," El Rayes said. "It's a revolution, and patients are starting to recognize us as essential health care providers. They come to us at the pharmacy before going to the doctor.”
El Rayes radiates boundless energy. He speaks with his hands, his eyes widen, and his eyebrows rise when he emphasizes words. And he is not going anywhere — he recently renewed his lease for the next five years.
“I always had this dream to open my own pharmacy, and people would feel comfortable knocking on my door, seeking advice when they couldn’t reach their doctor. That dream became reality when I found Point Grey Pharmacy, which welcomed me into one of the most special communities I've ever known,” he said.
“I’m so grateful for my parents who always emphasized education, my wife, and my children who always supported me. I’m grateful for my patients who trust me and make my life beautiful. I’m the luckiest pharmacist in the world.”