Private hospitals urged to reduce drug prices and medical service fees

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Bangkok – Of a total of over 300 hospitals asked to provide information about drug prices and medical service fees, only 295 have so far cooperated with authorities and about half of those have been found to be charging higher than allowed and are yet to consider reducing their prices and fees.

Internal Trade Department Director General Wichai Phochanakit said a working group had considered the prices of 3,892 drugs and 868 sets of medical supplies and the fees for medical services for 5,286 patients and notified all 353 private hospitals to provide information about their drug prices and medical service fees.

Only half of the 295 hospitals which have so far cooperated were found to have charged within the prices and fees as fixed by the Food and Drug Administration and the Comptroller General Department.

The working group will call the hospitals which are flouting the rules and ask them to reduce their prices and legal action will be taken if they fail to cut their costs to patients.

Medium prices and medical service fees will be posted on the website of the Internal Trade Department for consumers to compare.