If they enforce it!I actually duplicated a Hospital med order for 380 baht,their bill was 1530 baht!


Action on hospitals overcharging for medicine

The Commerce Ministry's Internal Trade Department will require private hospitals to alert patients to medicine charges before treatment.


A number of patients have complained of overcharging at private hospitals and asked the department to investigate. Some said hospitals were charging double what prescriptions cost elsewhere.


Department deputy director-general Vatcharee Vimooktayon said its drug-price committee was looking into the complaints.


The Commerce Ministry is responsible for the pricing of generic drugs while the Public Health Ministry is responsible for the pricing of imported medicines and some special generic drugs.


The posting of prices will inform patients what they will likely pay for prescriptions, she said.


Vatcharee said while private hospitals were entitled to set their own service fees they were not allowed to charge "arbitrary" prices for medicines.


One complaint claimed a hospital charged Bt1,500 for drugs that could be purchased elsewhere for Bt800. The hospital added a service fee on top of the prescription charge.


The department and the Public Health Ministry will together monitor imported medicines sold by private hospitals, she said.


Vatcharee said a posted price list would allow patients to decide if they wished to continue treatment at a hospital.


"Under the Retail Price Act consumers have a right to know the price of each product, including medicine, before purchase," she said.


Overcharging is subject to a maximum fine of Bt10,000.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai





The Nation[quote][/quote]

I never buy any medications at the hospitals pharmacy, unless the drug could not be bought outside the hospital.

I always ask the doctor if I can buy the prescription outside first., if he says only a hospital can sell it, then I am ay their mercy.

Only a couple of things cant be bought outside the hospital, some steroid meds, sleeping pills, and a few others.

Just a note: More Thais use private hospitals than expats...

The practice of inflating medication prices by hospitals has been going on in the US for decades...

I was charged (asked for) 700+ baht for a prescription item in an International hospital in Phuket. I declined to purchase, as I didn't really need it anyway, but subsequently enquired at the local pharmacy, which had it available at 200+ baht.

Bumrungrad is a classic example of this, i never buy the medications from them, a 5 min walk and there are approx 6 pharmacies.

Its generally approx 150-200% markup there.

Some stuff isnt stocked locally, its a simple matter of asking the prescribing doctor to write down the drugs.

agree, paolo and aek udon have a tendency to charge higher prices, for generics, made in thailand, and if you are not careful, high mark up for imports. just ask before hand, know what they are giving you and why, and adjust. if you haven't got a clue, you really should educate yourself, but if this an area out of your knowledge, just look at the packaging, if all english, ask for make in thailand or generic. if they don't have, depending, if antibiotic or something not high tech or new, you can find it else where, just make a note of what it is. they are both understanding.

but seriously, you really should know, not just in thailand, but anywhere, what you are being prescribed, and it's effects, with what you are already taking, which they didn't ask you about, or simply the effect of different foods on the script. again, and excellent site for med info is

http://www.pdrhealth.com

As a norm if I get treatment in one the hospitals here I will buy the first course of meds from them after that I head to Phamarcy, the Pharamcy thus far has always has the same meds a for a lot less money