Difference in cost for my heart meds - private hospital vs pharmacy

[jack71]

Im on daily heart medication and purchased a months supply from the well know private hospital in Bangkok . It cost 6,050 baht. I visited a reputable pharmacy in the city where I live and the exact same brand from Switzerland costs only 1300 for same quantity. 

 

I assume most folk would be aware of this issue but Im raising this thread to help anyone who doesn't know that one will pay HUGE prices for meds at a private hospital. I realise that they have to employ many staff and have high overheads but the mark up does seem excessive. 

 

I would kindly ask the mods not to delete the hospital name as this is factual information and doesn't fall under the umbrella of civil tort law (defamation)

 

cheers

[Ohyesuare]

Not to mention you have to pay the 1000+ baht doctor fee and few hundred for nurses to take your temperature, BP and weight each time.

[scubascuba3]

Were they giving each other high 5s when you paid? maybe they did it later, that's usually the give away they stiffed you

[Hoppyone]

Try Medisafe Pharmacy online they do cod , probably even cheaper 

[Thailand]

Had paid for meds at a hospital for UC a few years, 4000 for one month supply if I remember correctly.

Anyway thought I would check it out with a pharmacy not more than 100 yards from the hospital, same meds for 900 baht!

[hughrection]

1 hour ago, Hoppyone said:

Try Medisafe Pharmacy online they do cod , probably even cheaper 

Rubbish site - asks for medicine name and then doesn't recognise it and throws you out. Typical. ????

[howlee101]

It's not heart meds but the wife takes daily medication for a few ailments.  While some of her meds are not available at the local pharmacy, she always asks if they can be bought at the local pharmacy.  She recently went for a follow up and was prescribed additional meds....when ready to pay the bill, I told her to question the extra meds....anyway, the local pharmacy was 70% cheaper.  Hospital mark up on meds is a money maker so they will always push you to buy from them.

[ozfarang]

13 minutes ago, hughrection said:

Rubbish site - asks for medicine name and then doesn't recognise it and throws you out. Typical. ????

Just had the same problem.

 

I'll stay with Medtide for my online medicines. 

[sanuk711]

There is nowhere cheaper then a government hospital.......usually 140 baht to see the doctor---show them what you have to take --they will give you up to 6 months worth---price usually under half that of the cheapest pharma around.    

[FriendlyFarang]

6 hours ago, jack71 said:

I would kindly ask the mods not to delete the hospital name as this is factual information and doesn't fall under the umbrella of civil tort law (defamation)

Doesn't matter if what you say is true or not, you can be charged for defamation in either case.

[rodknock]

are the prices on medtide good.

can not see anything unless you join??

[Sheryl]

It is well known that there is an enormous mark up on medications in private hospitals.

[Hoppyone]

16 hours ago, hughrection said:

Rubbish site - asks for medicine name and then doesn't recognise it and throws you out. Typical. ????

ive never  had a problem ordering 4 different medications over a long period & cheaper is big plus , sorry to hear your the odd man out who thinks it's a rubbish site

[Sheryl]

5 hours ago, Hoppyone said:

ive never  had a problem ordering 4 different medications over a long period & cheaper is big plus , sorry to hear your the odd man out who thinks it's a rubbish site

Medisafe site does nte really work in terms of online order, you have to use the chat function which is in Messenger (or bypass the website altogether and just find them oin Messenger.) On Messenger it works fine and they have a very wide selection.

[Sheryl]

15 hours ago, rodknock said:

are the prices on medtide good.

can not see anything unless you join??

If you join and log in, you will see prices.

 

They are reasonably competitive brand for brand.

 

But depending on what you are looking for, a lot may depend on who has a specific locally made version.  For example, the least expensive barnd of simvastatin is Zimva made by GPO (around 140 baht for 100 tablets). Medtide does not have it, only has Bestatin at 250 a box.

 

Personally I find it pays to shop around and I usually seek quotes from Medtide. Medisafe and Ya Paiboon first. While there is nto much difference between them brand for brand. Som will have the cheapest brand and some will not, depending on the drug.

[NE1]

23 hours ago, jack71 said:

Im on daily heart medication and purchased a months supply from the well know private hospital in Bangkok . It cost 6,050 baht. I visited a reputable pharmacy in the city where I live and the exact same brand from Switzerland costs only 1300 for same quantity

I posted a similar post a while ago. 

2,600 baht for a months tablets. 

That is not including the extras for admin , blood pressure check and doctors fee.

I get the same tablets for 820 baht from a pharmacy .

[Hoppyone]

36 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Medisafe site does nte really work in terms of online order, you have to use the chat function which is in Messenger (or bypass the website altogether and just find them oin Messenger.) On Messenger it works fine and they have a very wide selection.

Yes works very well via messenger I should have been more accurate, & Cod delivery to remote area is usually 1-2 days

[jayboy]

Given the huge discrepancy in drug prices between private hospitals and pharmacies. I wonder how cost conscious but comfortably off middle class Thais approach the issue.I'm thinking of Thais who have a monthly income - just plucking numbers out of the air for illustration purposes - between say Bt 75,000 and 125,000, ie those can afford private sector medical treatment but who are also cost conscious. I certainly know of one Thai who has an arrangement with her doctor whereby he tells her the drugs needed and she then buys them outside, thereby avoiding paying hospital prices for drugs.Is this common practice?

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, jayboy said:

Given the huge discrepancy in drug prices between private hospitals and pharmacies. I wonder how cost conscious but comfortably off middle class Thais approach the issue.I'm thinking of Thais who have a monthly income - just plucking numbers out of the air for illustration purposes - between say Bt 75,000 and 125,000, ie those can afford private sector medical treatment but who are also cost conscious. I certainly know of one Thai who has an arrangement with her doctor whereby he tells her the drugs needed and she then buys them outside, thereby avoiding paying hospital prices for drugs.Is this common practice?

 

Yes. And not just for Thais, most expats do the same. It really makes no sense at all to pay the greatly inflated private hospital pharmacy prices.

 

But I would also say that the majority of middle class Thais use the  government system where they do nto have to pay anything. They may make use of "after hours" channel to see more senior doctors directly, paying the extra 200 - 450 baht themselves but the drugs will still come under the SS/CSS or "gold card" scheme.

 

And for minor issues the norm is to go directly to a pharmacy. Educated Thais generally know which pharmacies have "real" pharmacists on duty who can be relied upon to correctly prescribe for simple ailments.

[bert bloggs]

I get my heart meds from a govt hospital ,even cheaper than the local pharmacy,a lot cheaper,