DSI Probing Misuse Of Cold Medicine In Uttaradit And Samut Sakhon Hospitals

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DSI probing misuse of cold medicine

The Nation

Hospitals in Uttaradit and Samut Sakhon under the scanner

BANGKOK: -- After a recent finding that a senior pharmacist at a Udon Thani hospital stole a type of cold medicine which could be used in the production of amphetamine and sold it, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is probing similar incidents at two other hospitals one in Uttaradit and the other in Samut Sakhon.

The Public Health Ministry, after ordering internal probes into irregularities at the two hospitals, has threatened to take disciplinary action against directors of any hospitals where corruption of such a kind was to be found. Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said officials responsible could face dismissal.

At the provincial hospital in Udon Thani, the unnamed 40yearold official allegedly forged reports that 65,000 tablets of the pseudoephedrinebased medicine, contained in 130 bottles, had been delivered on several occasions to a healthpromoting hospital at tambon level. Officials say in fact he unlawfully sold them and kept the proceeds.

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has called on hospitals to order phenylephrinebased medicines for patients in place of pseudoephedrine, which had recently been classified as a prescription item. The FDA is planning to impose a stricter restriction on pseudoephedrine - a Type 2 addictive substance to make it difficult to get into the hands of illicit drug dealers or abused by patients.

DSI agents have now visited the Udon Thanibased hospital and will call on the Thong Saen Khan hospital in Uttaradit on March 56. The DSI investigation at the unnamed hospital in Samut Sakhon would not likely begin until the ministry has asked the DSI to help in the probe. At present an internal investigation is underway at the hospital.

At a Bangkok conference, Witthaya said the total of pseudoephedrinebased tablets ordered and prescribed by this hospital exceeded 1 million. The usual number of tablets handled by a hospital in a mediumsize province would be around 300,000 while a hospital in a largesized province was not likely to exceed 500,000.

"The volume is high for a smallsized province like Samut Sakhon, and an ongoing probe will soon find out why the figure has reached a million," he said. FDA secretarygeneral Phiphat Yingseri said a survey would be needed to find out where the stocks of the pseudoephedrinebased tablets were.

Phiphat called on hospitals to thoroughly check stocks of medicines both in their storage or ordered on their behalf. In many cases, he said, the drugs were delivered to hospitals but not through purchase orders, and later picked up by nonstaffers.

The FDA in the meantime would survey stocks of all pharmacies to find out how many tablets of pseudoephedrinebased medicines were left in their storage, after the restrictions took effect. "There are more than 5,000 pharmacies in Bangkok and the FDA expects to inspect 1,000 of them by this year’s end," he added.

He did not give details about the total number of pharmacies located outside Bangkok, but said the FDA would ask provincial authorities to help inspect up to 40 per cent of them within this year.

-- The Nation 2012-03-01

[PoodMaiDai]

How much do you have to pay to be a pharmacist in Thailand anyway?

[noitom]

Most people working in so called pharmacies in Thailand hardly ever know about basic medicines beyond the name and often don't know anything more about them. They even have a very difficult time looking anything up in the PDR. They rarely if ever are familiar with generics and hardly ever are able to recommend alternatives. Most pharmacies in Thailand don't have proper air temperature control and most of them are bacteria prone.

Think of all the time that you've bought a simple over the counter type medication like benadryl. Watch the majority of Thai pharmacy workers take out that same old metal tray and pour a handful of those caps out of a large bottle. Then they reach into a box or drawer or just pick up from another part of the counter, the metal "separator" and then they start to count off your order. It never occurs to them that the same instruments have been used for days or weeks without ever cleaning them. Often you can see the fingerprints and often the customers pick up and/or touch these instruments. Then the pharmacist counts out money with the same hands going all day without ever washing, and then repeats the process again and again.

It's too bad that the Thais don't recognize that this is a "corruption and graft problem" as well as a stolen property probblem and not so much as a drug problem. If hospital workers and local regulators/officals/police/security weren't corruptible, you wouldn't have these false orders and diverted shipments and pickups. This is a case of "amateur" dealers bribing hospital officials/security and police. The professional dealers and narco drug rings would never need "hospital supply." Nor would they be so stupid to rely on weak links in the chain. They use their own network, their own labs, and their own bribed army and police.

It's also too bad that pseudoephedrine based medicine is being removed from the adult Thailand residents' portfolio of allergy and cold remedies. Thai pharmacies offer no effective alternative. As phenylephrine based remedies are virtually useless against powerful plant life and the polluted air around Thailand. With all the bacteria and pollution around Thailand, coughing without covering mouths, picking noses and rarely if ever washing hands, Thailand pharmacies should be well stocked with pseudoephedrine based medication like Actifed and Clarinase for adult allergy sufferers and colds.

Thailand is shifting the gangsterism from the amateur briber of hospital workers and local police to the hospital police at Bumrungrad who control most of the so called prescription required medications. Bumrungrad has a monopoly on many of the prescribed type 2 medicines in Thailand. It's virtually impossible to get a prescription for some medicines unless you go through a many visit procedure at Bumrungrad. It's a ripoff.

[phosphorescent]

DSI agents have now visited the Udon Thanibased hospital and will call on the Thong Saen Khan hospital in Uttaradit on March 56.

I'm sure when March 56 rolls around the hospital will have everything in order.

[Bagwan]

I read the headline and thought that the hospitals werer not warming up the medications. How inconsiderate, no hot toddies to order! Disgraceful.

I was under the impression that colds are caused by viruses and that the body's defence mechanisms would take care of them. All that a doctor could do was to ameliorate the symptoms. Perhaps some latterday Christian Barnard or Florene Nightingale could comment.

[Bagwan]

After reading the headline I got the impression that hospitals were not warming up the prescribed medications. No hot toddy, and retiring to a darkened room with a liberal supply of tissues?

Isn't the common cold brought on by a virus and no cure has yet been found? The only thing that can be done is to ameliorate the symptoms. Oops! I forgot. Unless a Thai doctor prescribes at least three medicines they are considered useless.

[Exsexyman]

Most people working in so called pharmacies in Thailand hardly ever know about basic medicines beyond the name and often don't know anything more about them. They even have a very difficult time looking anything up in the PDR. They rarely if ever are familiar with generics and hardly ever are able to recommend alternatives. Most pharmacies in Thailand don't have proper air temperature control and most of them are bacteria prone.

Think of all the time that you've bought a simple over the counter type medication like benadryl. Watch the majority of Thai pharmacy workers take out that same old metal tray and pour a handful of those caps out of a large bottle. Then they reach into a box or drawer or just pick up from another part of the counter, the metal "separator" and then they start to count off your order. It never occurs to them that the same instruments have been used for days or weeks without ever cleaning them. Often you can see the fingerprints and often the customers pick up and/or touch these instruments. Then the pharmacist counts out money with the same hands going all day without ever washing, and then repeats the process again and again.

It's too bad that the Thais don't recognize that this is a "corruption and graft problem" as well as a stolen property probblem and not so much as a drug problem. If hospital workers and local regulators/officals/police/security weren't corruptible, you wouldn't have these false orders and diverted shipments and pickups. This is a case of "amateur" dealers bribing hospital officials/security and police. The professional dealers and narco drug rings would never need "hospital supply." Nor would they be so stupid to rely on weak links in the chain. They use their own network, their own labs, and their own bribed army and police.

It's also too bad that pseudoephedrine based medicine is being removed from the adult Thailand residents' portfolio of allergy and cold remedies. Thai pharmacies offer no effective alternative. As phenylephrine based remedies are virtually useless against powerful plant life and the polluted air around Thailand. With all the bacteria and pollution around Thailand, coughing without covering mouths, picking noses and rarely if ever washing hands, Thailand pharmacies should be well stocked with pseudoephedrine based medication like Actifed and Clarinase for adult allergy sufferers and colds.

Thailand is shifting the gangsterism from the amateur briber of hospital workers and local police to the hospital police at Bumrungrad who control most of the so called prescription required medications. Bumrungrad has a monopoly on many of the prescribed type 2 medicines in Thailand. It's virtually impossible to get a prescription for some medicines unless you go through a many visit procedure at Bumrungrad. It's a ripoff.

Absolute nonsense. My experience of pharmacy staff in Thailand is that they far more knowledgeable than their counterparts in the West. I have been here for ten years and always go to a pharmacist when i have an ailment, Most of them are extremely clued up as to what medication you need. Of course if you are a cheap charlie and go for the lowest common denominator, ie go to a chemist that pours a weeks supply of antibiotics or whatever into a bag, to save yourself 50 baht, up to you. It strikes me that you are one of these strange people who for some reason choose to live here, but never waste an opportunity to belittle Thailand. Very puzzling.