Pictures courtesy of The Nation

 

The government has introduced a new initiative that allows patients to buy prescribed medicines from registered pharmacies instead of private hospitals, a move expected to reduce household medical costs by 32 billion baht annually. The scheme, called “Suk Kai Sabai Krapao” (Healthy Body, Easy on the Pocket), was launched on 4 November, under the leadership of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

 

During the signing ceremony at Government House, Anutin was joined by Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun and Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat, who co-witnessed the event. The project forms part of the government’s “Quick Big Win” policies aimed at easing the cost of living while improving access to healthcare.

 

Anutin said the initiative represents a key milestone in Thailand’s economic and healthcare development, describing it as a “major shift” in how medical services are delivered. He noted that public hospitals are struggling under heavy patient loads, while private hospitals continue to charge high fees, largely driven by expensive drug and medical supply costs.

 

To address these challenges, the government directed the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Public Health to collaborate with the Private Hospital Association and other private-sector partners. Their joint task is to make healthcare more affordable by increasing transparency and competition in the pricing of medicines.

 

Under the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), private hospitals are now required to issue full prescriptions detailing drug names, dosages and usage instructions. Patients can then choose to buy their medicines either from the hospital or from any registered pharmacy participating in the “Suk Kai Sabai Krapao” programme.

 

The initiative already includes more than 300 private hospitals nationwide and over 3,400 pharmacies certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Participating pharmacies display the project’s official logo, while telepharmacy platforms registered with the Pharmacy Council of Thailand allow patients to order medications online and receive professional advice about drug use and pricing.

 

Anutin said the government is confident that this collaboration between public agencies and private hospitals will enhance Thailand’s reputation for high-quality, accessible healthcare. The savings generated by the scheme will not only ease financial pressure on households but also contribute to long-term sustainability in the national health system.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• The “Suk Kai Sabai Krapao” scheme lets patients buy prescribed medicines from FDA-certified pharmacies to reduce costs.

• Over 300 private hospitals and 3,400 pharmacies have joined the programme nationwide.

• The initiative aims to save Thai households 32 billion baht per year and strengthen healthcare access.

 

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  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from Nation 2025-11-05

 

 

 

 

 

The private hospitals won't like that. 

Save a lot of time too , as depensing the medizine ,takes the longest

time , in the government hospital I go to ....think pharmacies will do t

a lot quicker 

 

regards worgeordie

I have social security card, get a bag full of med, more than I need every time, for free.

The private hospitals will increase prices of doctor visits and care to cover the losses of dispensed medication. 

Need to get hospitals out of the pharmacy business altogether. It creates a conflict of interest. Never prescribe three meds when eight will do!

 

 

17 hours ago, Artisi said:

The private hospitals won't like that. 

If the patient has private .  medical insurance its not a problem to the person as will be covered in the insurance cover 

9 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Need to get hospitals out of the pharmacy business altogether. It creates a conflict of interest. Never prescribe three meds when eight will do!

 

 

The real conflict of interest lies with doctors getting kickbacks when they prescribe meds. Does the doctor prescribe meds because the patient really needs them or because it has become his "cash cow" to subsidize his salary? And what about the doctors who sell meds out of their own clinics. That's totally a conflict of interest. They make huge profits off of meds that the patient may not even need, and they won't tell you the name of the medicine or any known interactions with one's current meds. This way the patient has to return to the clinic for a refill and can't use an outside pharmacy since they don't know the name of the medicine. I never accept a medicine from any doctor without first checking the name against my other meds to make sure there is not interaction. If the doctor refuses to reveal the name of the medicine, then I walk straight out the door. The entire system is one big racket, and everyone involved has their own "pet" scam for making extra money off the patient. 

31 minutes ago, fittobethaied said:

The real conflict of interest lies with doctors getting kickbacks when they prescribe meds. Does the doctor prescribe meds because the patient really needs them or because it has become his "cash cow" to subsidize his salary? And what about the doctors who sell meds out of their own clinics. That's totally a conflict of interest. They make huge profits off of meds that the patient may not even need, and they won't tell you the name of the medicine or any known interactions with one's current meds. This way the patient has to return to the clinic for a refill and can't use an outside pharmacy since they don't know the name of the medicine. I never accept a medicine from any doctor without first checking the name against my other meds to make sure there is not interaction. If the doctor refuses to reveal the name of the medicine, then I walk straight out the door. The entire system is one big racket, and everyone involved has their own "pet" scam for making extra money off the patient. 

 

Yes, doctors are incentivized to prescribe more meds than are needed and that's a major manifestation of the conflict of interest. That was also what I thought was implied in my original post.

 

My doctors have all been willing to write the names and dosages of my meds so that I can buy them from an independent pharmacy, but I had to ask. I suspect most Thais would be too deferential to ask an authority figure to do that, however.

 

For those who have insurance coverage for their meds, I suspect the patients will default to letting the hospital fill their prescription with the inflated charges billed to the insurer, thus still contributing to rising insurance premiums.

51 minutes ago, shackleton said:

If the patient has private .  medical insurance its not a problem to the person as will be covered in the insurance cover 

How many ordinary Thais, have medical insurance?

1 minute ago, Free the 115 said:

How many ordinary Thais, have medical insurance?

 

Quite a few.

 

Many employers provide group medical insurance for their employees as part of their employee benefit programs, especially companies that employ lots of white collar workers or those with technical skills. 

2 hours ago, Surasak said:

The private hospitals will increase prices of doctor visits and care to cover the losses of dispensed medication. 

Perhaps as it should be, i.e., onsite pharmacy overhead itself (to include personnel & space "rental") the only thing applied to the cost of the medicines. 

All other hospital overhead spread only to the treatment services.

Private hospital dispensary charges can be exorbitant.

As an example, four years ago for a minuscule bottle of povidone (marked 25 THB by the manufacturer) I was charged 175 THB, equivalent to more than 5,000 THB per litre.
I did not even know what they were giving me until I had paid and the bag containing several items had been handed me.
The hospital's translator, a friend of a friend, had the decency to recommend in future buying from a pharmacy.

 

I was painfully aware the hospital had ripped me off because I had shortly before purchased from a pharmacy a 450 ml bottle of povidone of identical strength for 110 THB, or less than 250 THB per litre.

 

Incidentally, for reasons that may be divined, the prescription included two 6 mg tablets of ivermectin, which I requested by claiming a possible blood parasite infection.
(A mere two tablets. equivalent to eight doses for the then-rampant pox, because the cost was 650 THB.  Unavailable in pharmacies)