Award-winning director of hospital faces transfer

Phoo Sing is one of the 10 hospitals in the Northeast province that have been placing large orders for cold medicines on a regular basis, Public Health Ministry adviser Phasit Sakdanarong said, adding that the investigation should be completed in the next two weeks. 

Dr Prawi Amphan, chief of the provincial public health office, defended Dr Kittiphoom Juthasamit, saying that he personally believed the hospital director had nothing to do with the missing tablets. He said that Kittiphoom had been with the hospital for nearly two decades now and had no record of wrongdoing. 

Prawi also defended an unnamed pharmacist, who might possibly get implicated, saying: “It’s not worth it, what could he earn from just 100,000 tablets? It doesn’t make sense. We must give them a chance to clarify.” 

After hearing about the initial finding, Kittiphoom said that he was barred by his superiors from giving interviews and would make a public statement once he was given permission.

Kittiphoom, who was named Outstanding Doctor of the Year by the Rural Doctors Foundation just two days ago, reportedly lives a modest life. He has reportedly not bought a car or a house during his 20 years in service and is well liked by his staff. 

Meanwhile, investigation at two Chiang Mai hospitals discovered that two orders for a total of 60,000 pseudoephedrinebased tablets had been placed by an unnamed chief pharmacist on behalf of the Doi Lor Hospital, apparently without the authorisation of hospital director Dr Sathit Kimsiri, and these pills have gone missing. Sathit could not be reached by reporters or Department of Special Investigation agents yesterday.

At Hot Hospital, 50,000 pseudoephedrine tablets have been missing since last June and members of the staff are unable to explain it. Hospital director Dr Danawat Chunhawanich said he was not authorised to give interviews until the initial probe was completed.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said that a link had been detected between pharmacists at several hospitals with the missing tablets – apparently, the pharmacists are either graduates from the same university or former classmates. However, he would not provide details about the hospitals or the universities. 

A teleconference between key ministry officials and directors of government hospitals nationwide will be held today to discuss the problem and progress of the investigation. 

When asked why the pseudoephedrine pills were mostly found missing in hospitals at community level, the Public Health Ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Phaijit Warachit, said pharmacists at these hospitals had full authority to purchase or order medicines, while executive staff and directors were involved in the process at larger hospitals.