Under the new law, brought into effect on May 29, all hospitals must publicly disclose the drugs provided, the manufacturer, the drugs’ brand names, how much the hospital purchased the drugs for and how much they are selling them for, confirmed Sasiphimon Mongkon, Chief of the Phuket Provincial office of the Ministry of Commerce, which has been tasked with implementing the new regulation in Phuket.
The new law is being implemented through the Department of Internal Trade, under the Ministry of Commerce following the order by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha last month.
That order came after the government recognised surveys that reported that some private hospitals in Thailand were found to be charging their patients from 300% up to 16,000% higher than the recommended prices. (See story here.)
“All hospitals across Phuket had until June 30 to submit full lists to the Department of Internal Trade in Bangkok,” Ms Sasiphimon explained to The Phuket News.
“But we had to extend that deadline due to internal problems in the department. Now all hospitals throughout the country have until Aug 15 to submit their full lists of medicines with prices and other details to the DIT,” she said.
“After Aug 15, the DIT will check the information provided by all hospitals throughout the country. Then they will create a QR code for each hospital. The faster hospital sends the details, the faster they can receive the code,” she explained.
Ms Sasiphimon said that no new deadline had been issued for hospitals to display medicines prices.
“That depends on how quickly the DIT can issue a QR code for each hospital,” she said.
“When hospitals receive the QR code, they have 15 days to install a standing sign or other form of notice to show their patients in the hospital area,” she added.
“The head office of the DIT will inform our office which hospitals have been issued a QR code, and we will follow up by making inspections to make sure the information is publicly displayed,” Ms Sasiphimon said.
“If a hospital is to increase a price of any medicine, they must first inform the DIT 15 days before the price change takes effect,” she added.
Ms Sasiphimon also clarified that the new regulation applies to private hospitals only.
“Government hospitals are not required to submit lists of the medicines provided and the prices charged and the prices are already regulated by the government price already,” she said.
Asked how the public were to know the prices of medicines charged by government hospitals, Ms Sasiphimon said, “People can ask for it at the government hospital itself.
“People don’t need to worry about this, because the prices charged by government hospitals are controlled by the Ministry of Health. The prices are fair,” she added.