Private hospital operators have urged the government to review price control measures amid complaints by patients of over-charging.
The Public Health Ministry's Department of Health Service Support (HSS) met 30 private hospital representatives mONday to find solutions after civic groups complained that patients were being overcharged for services and medicines.
Speaking after the meeting, Chalerm Harnphanich, president of the Private Hospitals' Association, said hospitals have always complied with the law. He argued the price structure of state and private hospitals could not be compared because the costs of each are so different, citing employees' salaries as an example.
Each private hospital has different costs, depending on the area, he added.
He declined to comment on calls for a median or ceiling price for healthcare and medicine until the ministry issues a clear directive.
Dr Chalerm urged the government to study the costs at private hospitals before making any decisions, adding the costs included not only the price of medicine but also drug management and evaluation for each prescription.
"Medical fees in Thailand's private hospitals are still 25-35% cheaper than Singapore," he said, adding patients could still use one of three healthcare schemes — the Universal Coverage healthcare scheme, Social Security Fund or the Civil Servant Medical Scheme — provided by the government, instead of private hospitals.
Thares Karasnairaviwong, deputy director-general of the HSS, said private hospitals at the meeting agreed to discuss price inquiries and set up information booths at hospitals to deal with questions about pricing.
The HSS will use thailandmedicalhub.net to release information about healthcare price standards. At this stage, the price will be based on 80 types of healthcare operation costings by the Comptroller-General's Department, which runs the Civil Servant Medical Scheme.
In the case of free emergency care, Dr Thares said, private hospital operators have agreed to work with the ministry to improve the scheme.
The scheme, launched by Yingluck Shinawatra's government, aims to provide free emergency care to help save lives.
Emergency patients can be delivered to the nearest hospital, regardless of their healthcare scheme.
Some patients under the free emergency care scheme complained they were over-charged by private hospitals, he said, adding many private operators also claimed the scheme's reimbursement fee rate did not cover their costs.
Private hospital representatives and the ministry will meet again today to discuss ways to improve the reimbursement system.
Meanwhile, the People's Health System Movement (PHSM), a network of health activists and civic groups, called on the government to find urgent solutions to overpriced healthcare and medicine.
The group proposed a short-term solution, asking the ministry to issue a regulation ordering hospitals not to charge patients in the first 72 hours of admittance under the free emergency care scheme.
This would provide enough time for patients to recover and be transferred to hospitals where they are registered, the group said.
PHSM also demanded the government make a price agreement with private hospital operators, with a penalty for those who do not comply.
For medium-term solutions, the group called on the Public Health Ministry to set up a multi-stakeholder committee — comprised of officials, hospital operators and civic representatives — to monitor the Sanatorium Committee, a body chaired by the health permanent secretary to regulate hospitals and scrutinise complaints about hospital services.