7 Million Pseudoephedrine Pills Unaccounted For At Udon Thani Hospital

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COLD PILLS

7m pseudoephedrine pills unaccounted for at Udon hospital

The Nation

UDON THANI: -- More than seven million pseudoephedrinecontaining tablets, one of which can reportedly make three amphetamine pills, have gone missing over the past three years from an Udon Thani hospital that is currently under investigation, a senior resident pharmacist said yesterday.

The missing tablets were worth more than Bt19 million, which was allegedly pocketed by Somchai saeKhow, a senior pharmacist, chief pharmacist Damrongkiat Tangjaroen reportedly told police during an interview. Somchai is on the run and wanted by police.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which has taken over pseudoephedrine cases at many hospitals from police, has dispatched agents to many hospitals in the Central region, the Northeast and the North to conduct initial inspections and compile evidence and relevant documents.

An investigation at San Sai Hospital in Chiang Mai would determine in the next two days how many pseudoephedrinecontaining tablets were missing and who would be held responsible.

The number of pseudoephedrinecontaining tablets ordered from the Food and Drug Admnistration is much higher than what was found in the hospital's inventory, said Surasing Wissarutrat, head of the provincial public health office.

At Kamalasai Hospital in Kalasin, more than 350,000 pseudoephedrinecontaining tablets were found to be missing from its inventory. Seven staffers, including the hospital director, have been questioned extensively.

All hospitals suspected of involvement in the pseudoephedrine cases are staterun, but a private hospital in eastern Bangkok has been identified as possibly being involved.

A police source claimed to have found a connection between one of the seven staffers and pharmacists at private hospitals. The DSI is also looking into the connection and possible wrongdoing at other private hospitals, the source said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-28

[clockman]

This will be tip of an iceberg!

[andytime]

A new hub for Thailand perhaps .....Chalerm I suggest your first 15 day trial guinea pigs can be found at the hospital.... ah but maybe someone higher up is pulling the strings.....

[yumidesign]

wow 7 million pills, they must have been expecting a lots of colds. over prescribing ????

[Sydebolle]

Just out of curiosity; how many truck loads are we talking here? Did the medos ever hit the hospital's pharmacy or simply shrank away on the way from the generic copier to the never reached hospitalo? Given the well-known Thai bureaucracy (where even toilet paper in hospitals are available only against three counter-signatures from the in-house store ) I wonder who signed for what and when?

Well, how stupid of me, it was all just an honest mistake

[LPCustom69]

Bad Somchai!

[tragickingdom]

There is no hospital involved in the scam. the scam was perpetrated by officials at the health ministry and started in 2006 immediately after the coup. The hospitals never received so much pills. Unfortunately the Thai press is not very good in investigating. They are very good though in writing down what officials say on press conferences. Nobody dare to ask questions.

[how241]

This will be tip of an iceberg!

Yes, I think more will come out of this investigation.

[Arkady]

It is sad that an inexpensive and relatively safe remedy for nasal congestion is no longer readily available in Thailand due to the activities of these criminals who masquerade as government officials. Whatever could have been bought piecemeal from pharmacies by thousands of people paid by the gangs pales into insignificance compared to this wholesale corruption that incidentally denied patients the drugs for legitimate use.

Unfortunately nothing else currently available works as well for the legitimate purpose. It is still available in pharmacies but not supermarkets in countries like the US (on production of ID) and the UK (restricted to 12 60 mg tablets per purchase) but for how much longer who knows?

[Tanaka]

Which Udon Thani hospital are they talking about, anyone knows?

[Flutterby]

For those who are unaware, pseudoephedrine is the key component in the manufacture of the drug methamphetamine. If it were simply used for alleviating the symptoms of colds, this wouldn't be such a big story. As it is, though, it means that some folks here are in bed with powerful drug cartels.

[happysanook]

For those who are unaware, pseudoephedrine is the key component in the manufacture of the drug methamphetamine. If it were simply used for alleviating the symptoms of colds, this wouldn't be such a big story. As it is, though, it means that some folks here are in bed with powerful drug cartels.

either that or someone has a big fn trailer

[hellodolly]

A new hub for Thailand perhaps .....Chalerm I suggest your first 15 day trial guinea pigs can be found at the hospital.... ah but maybe someone higher up is pulling the strings.....

Consider that of the three areas two that are being looked into are areas where Thaksin is the King just ask any one of them.

[hellodolly]

There is no hospital involved in the scam. the scam was perpetrated by officials at the health ministry and started in 2006 immediately after the coup. The hospitals never received so much pills. Unfortunately the Thai press is not very good in investigating. They are very good though in writing down what officials say on press conferences. Nobody dare to ask questions.

Here's a question your source for all this knowledge?