Bupa announces cut-price medicine deal

BANGKOK: -- Bupa Health Insurance yesterday announced a deal under which its policyholders will be able to buy medicine prescribed by doctors at discount prices from Fascino pharmaceutical stores.

“With this arrangement, we will have lower medicine costs and will be able to keep our premiums down despite rises in the costs of medicine,” the company’s medical director, Suthon Chutiniyamkarn, said.

He said that prices for medicine rose by about 10 per cent every year.

Joining hands with Fascino would allow Bupa Health Insurance to increase its competitiveness and trim costs, he said, adding that his firm would not resort to price-cutting and would continue to design products to meet its customers’ demands.

Earlier, Bupa Health Insurance announced an 8-per-cent rise in its premiums – the first in five years. The company said the move followed a 30- to 40-per-cent rise in fees by some hospitals.

At present, Bupa’s policyholders can buy medicine at the new discount prices from only 12 of Fascino’s 52 branches. “The remaining 40 branches are franchisees of Fascino, so they have yet to offer the services,” Suthon said. “We are negotiating with them.”

--The Nation 2005-06-16

Probably the medicine prescribed by doctors are not available at Fascino pharmaceutical stores.