30,000 baht bill for diarrhoea treatment at private hospital

FILE PHOTO

It’s enough to give you the s**ts!

An unnamed private hospital is being asked to explain how it charged a patient 30,000 baht for the treatment of a simple stomach infection.

A source at the Internal Trade Department says that a review of the medical bill indicates the hospital bill was “unreasonable”.

“The hospital will be asked to explain.”

The complaint filed via the Internal Trade Department’s 1569 hotline. Earlier this year, the Cabinet approved a resolution to control the prices of medical supplies and services amid screams of opposition from indignant private hospitals.

The source of the story says that the private hospital in question would face legal punishment if it is unable to provide a reasonable explanation for the unreasonably high bill.

“From our examination of the bill, it is clear that the hospital has subjected the patient to over-treatment with many items that in fact might not have been necessary,” the source said.

If found guilty of over-charging, the hospital executives could face up to seven years in jail and/or a fine of 140,000 baht.

In January the Internal Trade Department has summoned the management of 70 out of 353 private hospitals for a discussion on why the price of medicines they sell are three to nine times higher than market prices.

New rules are now being drafted requiring private hospitals and medicine providers to declare their selling prices on the Internal Trade Department’s website. The rules are an attempt to reign in the voting of medicine prices where some private hospitals have been accused of charging up to 900% of the actual retail cost for prescriptions.

SOURCE: The Nation