Medicine probe
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The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) plans to interview officials at state hospitals to look for corruption in excessive orders of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in methamphetamine.
The move follows the seizure of 130,000 pseudo-ephedrine pills in a raid in San Kamphaeng in Chiang Mai on February 18.
DSI security case office chief Pol Lt-Colonel Pong-in Inkhao said DSI officials met yesterday with Samut Sakhon public health officials to ask if any health units had suspiciously sought cold medicine.
Previously, the DSI found Central Udon Thani Hospital and Thongsaengkhan Hospital in Uttaradit had placed suspicious orders for cold medicine, he said. DSI investigators would investigate the history of the orders, including the origin of the medicine and the financial transactions. A Central Udon Thani Hospital pharmacist confessed during an initial investigation to placing inflated orders for the medicine, and investigators would check to see if more people were involved.
This week, the DSI will hold talks with the Finance Ministry and the Public Health Ministry to try to get an overall picture of cold medicine requisitions nationwide against the real use of such medicines.
