Dec 8, 2008 (DVB), Medicines worth about 100 million kyat were found to be missing from Thayawaddy township hospital in Bago by government inspectors last month, according to sources close to the hospital.

A Thayawaddy resident told DVB on condition of anonymity that the team of inspectors arrived in the township at the end of November.

During the inspection, the officials found that 700 ampoules of antivenom, 200 of morphine and pethidine, an uncertain amount of anti-rabies medicine and several other types of medicine had gone missing from the hospital’s storage room.

"Even though the group quizzed several individuals in the hospital after they found out about the missing medicine, including the director, it seems that only the doctor who’s in charge of the store room will be punished," the resident said.

"The inspectors warned the hospital to return the cash value of the medicines."

The resident said hospitals in seven other townships in Thayawaddy province, including Kyopinkauk, Zeegon and Lattpadan, would now be inspected after the incident in Thayawaddy.

Thayawaddy hospital was unavailable for comment.

Reporting by Aye Nai