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The theft of 48.32 million cold pills from state hospitals is putting pressure on the Public Health Ministry, with some of its officials suspected to be involved.

Police believe the pills were diverted from hospital stores and supplied to methamphetamine factories along the borders with Myanmar and Laos.

The ministry has ordered urgent inspections to be carried out at 875 hospitals nationwide.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri also suspended the distribution of cold pills containing pseudoephedrine over the counter and at hospitals.

Disciplinary charges have been laid against seven hospital directors and pharmacists since the scandal broke.

The Department of Special Investigation is also probing cold pill thefts at the hospitals and yesterday asked seven police stations to report their initial findings within three days.

"Pseudoephedrine is not an illicit drug. It is good and effective and affordable for colds and sinus problems," Food and Drug Administration narcotics control division chief Prapon Angtrakul said.

"But we cannot hand it out over the counter because some drug gangs and professionals are abusing its formula. If the problem continues, we may have to spend more on a different medicine to treat a simple ailment."

Mr Prapon said health professionals involved in the scandal approved the TAK of large amounts of cold pills which were diverted from hospitals in a trans-border smuggling scheme.

FDA secretary-general Pipat Yingseree has questioned how the cold pills were smuggled into Thailand. Of the 48.32 million tablets seized in 40 cases launched by police since 2006, up to 36 million were smuggled from South Korea.

Phong-in Inkhao, head of the Department of Special Investigation's security cases office, yesterday said the cold drugs smuggling racket can take three forms.

One way is when a hospital director approves a request for medicines from the Public Health Ministry's stocks.

After the medicines are delivered to the hospital, a pharmacist will make a false inventory of the number of items and smuggle the medicine from the hospital and sell them.

In other cases, hospital pharmacists will place an order for cold medicines with drugs manufacturers. When the medicines are made, they are delivered to parties who pay extra to buy them, not to the hospitals.

Another method involves combinations of these two approaches, Mr Phong-in said.

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