Alert On People Abusing Thai Health Scheme

[webfact]

Alert on people abusing health scheme

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Civil servants' purchases to be monitored

The Finance Ministry will investigate state hospitals and doctors across the country for milking the medical benefit scheme after healthcare expenditures for civil servants skyrocketed by over Bt5 billion a year.

"Over Bt1 billion was irregularly spent for drugs prescribed to patients," Supa Piyajitti, a deputy permanent secretary, said last week.

"The ministry is now keeping an eye on doctors who prescribe too many drugs and civil servants and their relatives who abuse their rights," she said.

The ministry's survey from OctoberDecember last year found that over 134,800 civil servants and their relatives with access to the medical benefit scheme visited state hospitals for medical services more than three times a month.

Almost 21,700 civil servants and their relatives had been receiving drugs worth over Bt30,000 a month.

And 6,460 civil servants and their relatives both received medical services more than three times and drugs worth Bt30,000 a month.

Outlays on medical welfare for civil servants had increased drastically from Bt26 billion in 2004 to Bt62 billion last year, of which 83 per cent was for medicine. Most drugs were brand names and expensive. They could be obtained only on doctor's consideration.

From 20042010, medical spending jumped 20 per cent each year, or about Bt5 billion a year.

Generally, patients go to a hospital two times a month to pick up medication from the outpatient department and the cost, especially for chronic diseases, should not exceed Bt20,000 per month.

The ministry has identified 34 hospitals across the country that had filed reimbursement claims for drugs worth about Bt13 billion from October 2008August 2009. About Bt8 billion or 66 per cent of the cost of hospital drugs was for unnecessary and expensive drugs not on the National Essential Drug List.

Prayong Preeyachitt, deputy secretarygeneral of the Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission (PACC), said his agency has teamed up with the ComptrollerGeneral's Department and Department of Special Investigation to find civil servants and their relatives who swindled the government.

Since 2009, PACC has sent the cases of two medical plan members to the National AntiCorruption Commission for further scrutiny and disciplinary action.

The first case was an official who shopped for medication one to three times a week and used his welfare card at several hospitals. The second case was a hospital staff member who pretended to be a patient's relative and got doctors to prescribe drugs.

The abuses fall into three categories, he said. First, patients go to several hospitals, get diagnosed and prescribed drugs, then sell them online or to pharmacies.

Second, hospital staff pretend to be patients' relatives and get doctors to prescribe drugs and third, doctors prescribe far too many drugs, most of which are unnecessary and expensive.

Supa said that since the investigation was at an early stage, she could not answer if there was corruption in civil servant medical welfare.

However, the ministry will audit physicians' prescription behaviour and hospitals. Violators will face disciplinary punishment.

"We will soon arrest cheaters and blacklist those doctors or subscribers who abuse their rights," she said.

-- The Nation 2011-02-14

[exbelg]

thailand is strange and sick when it comes to doctors... every time my kid goes to see a doctor, for whatever symptom : they always prescribe antibiotics, which is not only dangerous for my kids health but also costing a lot of money

if it is for stomac pain (some vomiting) or toe pain ...

when will it stop ?

but I as a farang off course pay the full price

so they are not sure if there is corruption, how funny

and no-one can check if person x is a family member or not of person y

they should make a national database to list what doctor prescribes to whom and where and when, then cheating would be obviously found

Edited February 14, 2011 by exbelg

[Scott]

Apparently this is Thailand's new 'drug problem.'

[featography]

Apparently this is Thailand's new 'drug problem.'

...and America's old drug problem. The computer data base that went nationwide, put a major stop to prescription medicine abuse/addiction. In a treatment center that I spent a month in for alcoholism, many years ago, there were 12 females, 13 males. Half of the females were in there for prescriptions addictions, most of the other half, for alcohol, and a couple for cocain or heroin. They told us, that it was easy to get all the prescription meds one wanted, if one went to multiple doctors, clinics. Before national database, doctors had no clue about other doctors prescribing to the same patient. Apparently, Thai have discovered the same thing.

[Credo]

Nice of them to supply the neighborhood with medication. Nice of them to earn a little extra cash selling drugs as well. Nice to be able to provide drugs for all your relatives and pretend relatives.

I wonder what would happen if they were charged the same as someone selling yaa baa. They are, by the way, selling controlled substances.

[egg]

thailand is strange and sick when it comes to doctors... every time my kid goes to see a doctor, for whatever symptom : they always prescribe antibiotics, which is not only dangerous for my kids health but also costing a lot of money

if it is for stomac pain (some vomiting) or toe pain ...

when will it stop ?

but I as a farang off course pay the full price

so they are not sure if there is corruption, how funny

and no-one can check if person x is a family member or not of person y

they should make a national database to list what doctor prescribes to whom and where and when, then cheating would be obviously found

Thailand is not interested in databases (you only have to got o immigration to learn that),, all they want is to be a "hub" of some description,, and there will be some very bent spokes coming from any "hub' that Thailand has anything to do with

[aglae4]

So, when you are a person that has been treated without results and with a lot of medicine, a lot of visits to the doctor, a lot of examinations with all the machines that an hospital had, that paid a lot of money to get an allergy and when stopped the medicine felt better than when using them.......where can that person complain?

I got a problem with one ear here in Phuket in December. When I went to the hospital, the specialist told me that I had a problem with my ear (what a surprise!) but that she could not find the reason. So, I had to check my hearing, have a scanner, have an IRM and bloodtest. Nothing. So, she gave me steroïds for 2 weeks. I checked with my housedoctor in my country (my daughter went to see him). This was normal. For the steroïds, she had to check me every 2 or 3 days.....Until there, I do not complain even if it was very expensive.

But, after the steroïds, no change. So, she gave me antibiotics even if there was no sign of infection..... (she said it herself!). And of course a lot of medicine so that I would not have problems with the heavy antibiotics. I noticed (afterwards) that on the small plasic bag it was written 7 pills but I got only 5. This were very expensive antibiotics. After one week more, still no change. So, she gave me another kind of antibiotics, stronger. Again, I got 5 pills but paid for 7. Again, very expensive antibiotics. After 2 weeks more (I had to go every week in that time and the second time I complained to the pharmacist that gave me then all the medicine), I started to have allergy and told the symptoms to the doctor. She said it was not important.....But a few days later, I stopped everything because I thought I was going to die, I could not breath at all anymore. I checked on internet that was a sideeffect of 2 of the medicine that I was taking and when you experienced this you had to stop immediately and consult a doctor.......But I spoke about the symptoms to the doctor from the beginning....So, she should have known!

Since then, I did not go the doctor anymore, did not take no pills anymore and every day it is a little better. Not finished yet, but I will not go to the doctor anymore!!!!!

All together, this cost me about 70 000 baths....in 2 months, and for nothing (apart to get an allergy!).

So, where do I complain about an hospital that keeps the patient sick so they can sell visits, examinations and medicine?

I explained to the doctor also that there was somebody in their pharmacy taking every time some of the pills when they were expensive, so they know......

Of course, for me, I will never go to this hospital anymore.....

And finally, I think that the problem in my ear is only a problem of dryness due to age......I am trying to find a treatment by myself on internet. Isn't it chocking that you have to do that?

So, I hope that with this kind of investigation they will stop this kind of things....But, yes I know, I am naive!

And they should also control the prices, because that hospital for instance is more expensive than an hospital in my country (Belgium)....a visit to the specialist here is more expensive than in my country, and this is really not normal!

(sorry for my broken english).

[DoctorG]

Thailand is touted (by themselves) as a "medical tourist" destination but I do not think they are up to the mark.

I have had 2 experiences with Thai hospitals. The one in BKK was just OK, and the Pattaya one was very poor.

I am back in Australia getting all my medical issues sorted before I return to LOS.

[Thai at Heart]

"Alert on Civil Servants Abusing Thai Health Scheme" would be a bit more accurate I believe.

This is a blatant two tiering of the system.

[nong38]

And to think not long ago they were worried about foreigners using the hospitals and not paying! Pales inot insignificance compared to this and I would think most foreigners would be happy to pay a fair whack for access to the govt hospital scheme and not abuse the system to this extent.

[rubl]

The ministry's survey from October-December last year found that over 134,800 civil servants and their relatives with access to the medical benefit scheme visited state hospitals for medical services more than three times a month.

Almost 21,700 civil servants and their relatives had been receiving drugs worth over Bt30,000 a month.

And 6,460 civil servants and their relatives both received medical services more than three times and drugs worth Bt30,000 a month.

I can only assume that being a civil servant is very unhealthy for both the servant and his/her family. Stressful.

May I wonder what type of service and subscriptions the 30-baht Medical Service entitle common people to?

[swerver]

So, when you are a person that has been treated without results and with a lot of medicine, a lot of visits to the doctor, a lot of examinations with all the machines that an hospital had, that paid a lot of money to get an allergy and when stopped the medicine felt better than when using them.......where can that person complain?

I got a problem with one ear here in Phuket in December. When I went to the hospital, the specialist told me that I had a problem with my ear (what a surprise!) but that she could not find the reason. So, I had to check my hearing, have a scanner, have an IRM and bloodtest. Nothing. So, she gave me steroïds for 2 weeks. I checked with my housedoctor in my country (my daughter went to see him). This was normal. For the steroïds, she had to check me every 2 or 3 days.....Until there, I do not complain even if it was very expensive.

But, after the steroïds, no change. So, she gave me antibiotics even if there was no sign of infection..... (she said it herself!). And of course a lot of medicine so that I would not have problems with the heavy antibiotics. I noticed (afterwards) that on the small plasic bag it was written 7 pills but I got only 5. This were very expensive antibiotics. After one week more, still no change. So, she gave me another kind of antibiotics, stronger. Again, I got 5 pills but paid for 7. Again, very expensive antibiotics. After 2 weeks more (I had to go every week in that time and the second time I complained to the pharmacist that gave me then all the medicine), I started to have allergy and told the symptoms to the doctor. She said it was not important.....But a few days later, I stopped everything because I thought I was going to die, I could not breath at all anymore. I checked on internet that was a sideeffect of 2 of the medicine that I was taking and when you experienced this you had to stop immediately and consult a doctor.......But I spoke about the symptoms to the doctor from the beginning....So, she should have known!

Since then, I did not go the doctor anymore, did not take no pills anymore and every day it is a little better. Not finished yet, but I will not go to the doctor anymore!!!!!

All together, this cost me about 70 000 baths....in 2 months, and for nothing (apart to get an allergy!).

So, where do I complain about an hospital that keeps the patient sick so they can sell visits, examinations and medicine?

I explained to the doctor also that there was somebody in their pharmacy taking every time some of the pills when they were expensive, so they know......

Of course, for me, I will never go to this hospital anymore.....

And finally, I think that the problem in my ear is only a problem of dryness due to age......I am trying to find a treatment by myself on internet. Isn't it chocking that you have to do that?

So, I hope that with this kind of investigation they will stop this kind of things....But, yes I know, I am naive!

And they should also control the prices, because that hospital for instance is more expensive than an hospital in my country (Belgium)....a visit to the specialist here is more expensive than in my country, and this is really not normal!

(sorry for my broken english).

Let’s set this problem on the right track

So far every Visa Forum insert I read it is the doctors who are doing the charging.

The only time the doctor does the charging is when you go see a doctor in his/her private office – not hospital or medical clinic related.

I have been going to an Eastern Seaboard hospital for some 16-years and everything was fine because the hospital was under control of the Medical Director – a very well respected and medical knowledgably GP/Surgeon - and his Hospital Administrator.

Then the big boys from BKK – investment company operated by money people NOT DOCTORS - came down to gobble up a local hospital and started to operate that hospital on the for profit motive called bottom-line - not to make people healthy again in their medical adversity. Other hospitals in the area started to take notice and it wasn’t long in coming that they also had learned the bottom-line trick resulting that the hospital I had associated with for the past 16-years the Medical Director was relieved of the job of operating the hospital and a Business Manager was put in his place. It did take me a while to find out but my research did bear fruit when I learned that this business manager was not a medical doctor, but had been a Supermarket Manager for some 20-years in Germany. Now the lobby of the hospital looks like when you walk into Big C rap with announcement hanging and standing all over the place offering i.e. a series of 3 vaccinations for the price of two vaccinations. When paying by credit card you receive 10% discount on one credit card or 5% discount on another type credit card, just to name some, there are all sorts of gimmicks being advertised. As for the Doctors they have been instructed to push all the different machines/instruments – MRI, HFR and many more of today’s exotic instrument originally found in hospitals in the Western World to look inside a person’s body. In addition to prescribe medicine(s).

I can tell you a lot more but this will do for now. The Belg above already has detailed several of the abuses.