Doctor'S Clinics

[SwaziBird]

I have a very good hospital and a very good G.P. both of which provide me with excellent service and also happen to to provide me with medications as well. Is this a widespread practice across the clinics in Chiang Mai ?

I get to wondering whether the regular pharmacy gets to dispensing much medication at all.

Any opinions ?

Cheers.

[mrclough]

I've found this to be the case mostly.

I think regular pharmacy's do ok as sometimes you know what you require without needing to consult a doctor

[OlafStapleton]

I think you will find most peoples choose to buy the medicine from the pharmacy as the doctor clinic charges 2x or 3x the price of the outside.

If you insurance is paying the bill then you won't care to be saving moneys.

Edited June 12, 2011 by OlafStapleton

[Ulysses G.]

If it is long term medicine, I will buy it from the doctor the first time and then switch to a less expensive pharmacy after that.

Edited June 12, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[Tywais]

If it is long term medicine, I will buy it from the doctor the first time and then switch to a less expensive pharmacy after that.

Same here. Actually my doctor at RAM recommended me doing just that so suspect pharmacies aren't hurting.

As for clinics, all that I've gone to do have an onsite pharmacy though perhaps limited to the most common prescribed items such as antibiotics.

[hellodolly]

My doctor has drugs on hand to sell. The one thing I like about buying from her is I feel assured she is giving me good medicine. When I first started seeing her she had me bring in every thing I was taking supplements and all. When I took it in she went through them all and said good or no good. When she came to one She did not know she traced the manufacture down and found out what was in it. She told me it was a mild pain killer. My friend who had turned me on to it had told me it was to help the joints. like a anti inflammatory. Not so

I had been taking niacin for my cholesterol not that easy to find in Chiang Mai she looked at it and said it was such a week dose it was almost useless. The test's pretty well backed her up on that. She then got me another one she had to have it shipped in from Bangkok and now my cholesterol is all down to acceptable and the good one is above average.

I might get them all cheaper elsewhere but I feel confident in what I get from her and for myself only that is a big thing worth a few Baht.

[Sparkles]

If it is long term medicine, I will buy it from the doctor the first time and then switch to a less expensive pharmacy after that.

Good advice and its remarkable the price difference, sometimes, even between pharmacies

[SantiSuk]

Nothing thta we can do much about so not worth getting worked up about it - but clinics (including hospital ones) prescribing drugs and selling them is about as pure a form of conflict of interest as you can get in the medical world.

[afarang]

S.S., not so in Govt. Hospitals, where drugs to Thais are free. Not in the doctors interest to saddle the hospital with waste in terms of over prescribing.

[OlafStapleton]

S.S., not so in Govt. Hospitals, where drugs to Thais are free. Not in the doctors interest to saddle the hospital with waste in terms of over prescribing.

My wife is paying extra for drugs at the government hospital.

30bht for doctor, 50bht for drugs often

Although I am thinking we talk about foreigners in these forum.

[afarang]

Yes, Olaf ,foreigners are charged, both for consultation and prescribed medications. Thais are not, so long as they attend the hospital issuing their health card.If they go to a hospital .not of the name on their health card ,they pay about the same as a foreigner.I have checked the cost of some of my prescribed drugs - one costs a bit over B300 from the hospital pharmacy, online from U.S., its cost is U.S.$ 39.95. I think I know where I would prefer my medication to be supplied from !!

[OlafStapleton]

Yes, Olaf ,foreigners are charged, both for consultation and prescribed medications. Thais are not, so long as they attend the hospital issuing their health card.If they go to a hospital .not of the name on their health card ,they pay about the same as a foreigner.I have checked the cost of some of my prescribed drugs - one costs a bit over B300 from the hospital pharmacy, online from U.S., its cost is U.S.$ 39.95. I think I know where I would prefer my medication to be supplied from !!

My Thai wife is paying 30bht to visit doctor and another about 50bht for drugs at the government hospital where she is registered and is having her card.

Thais pay, but a little.

[elektrified]

Yes, Olaf ,foreigners are charged, both for consultation and prescribed medications. Thais are not, so long as they attend the hospital issuing their health card.If they go to a hospital .not of the name on their health card ,they pay about the same as a foreigner.I have checked the cost of some of my prescribed drugs - one costs a bit over B300 from the hospital pharmacy, online from U.S., its cost is U.S.$ 39.95. I think I know where I would prefer my medication to be supplied from !!

My Thai wife is paying 30bht to visit doctor and another about 50bht for drugs at the government hospital where she is registered and is having her card.

Thais pay, but a little.

Not all Thais go to government hospitals. Some go to private hospitals and pay as much as a foreigner.

[elektrified]

If it is long term medicine, I will buy it from the doctor the first time and then switch to a less expensive pharmacy after that.

Good advice and its remarkable the price difference, sometimes, even between pharmacies

Indeed the price difference from pharmacy to pharmacy can be as much as 100-200%!

[afarang]

Yes, Olaf ,foreigners are charged, both for consultation and prescribed medications. Thais are not, so long as they attend the hospital issuing their health card.If they go to a hospital .not of the name on their health card ,they pay about the same as a foreigner.I have checked the cost of some of my prescribed drugs - one costs a bit over B300 from the hospital pharmacy, online from U.S., its cost is U.S.$ 39.95. I think I know where I would prefer my medication to be supplied from !!

My Thai wife is paying 30bht to visit doctor and another about 50bht for drugs at the government hospital where she is registered and is having her card.

Thais pay, but a little.

Not all Thais go to government hospitals. Some go to private hospitals and pay as much as a foreigner.

The wealthy ones indeed do. But not where I live .We have no private hospital .I believe the nearest Private hospital, is in Surin , about 90 Kilometres away. Olaf ,she should not be paying anything. There is a fiddle going on. Thaksin introduced the B 30 health scheme. After his disposal, the next Govt., made all health care , for Thais ,at Govt. hospitals free. Which it still is at our Govt. Hospital, if you are registered at that hospital. Thais do not pay for normal medical services ,as well as prescriptions. ,Only farang do.

[PMNL]

I am sure that the pharmacy have more business in general.

Many thais and farang just like the easy way of getting drugs without consultation.

It is more convinient but not practically safe, the staff giving advise at pharmacy, mostly are not qualified.

They do not tell you whether you can take the two medicines together or what could be side effect or what should be monitored.

Some of them, I must say, however are very knowlegable, but most of them would just give you anything they know, not the one that you should be taking without contraindication.

Many people do get precribed from doctor then get repeat prescription from pharmacy, in this case, it is safer and problably cheaper.

[afarang]

You are quite correct .People do go to a local chemist shop, but sadly, the vast majority are unqualified. One example, our local chemist, when I asked for a Vitamin B , gave me a protein supplement. I have not been back. Also, many times your local chemist will not stock the prescribed medications. Particularly , those made by the G.P.O.which only supplies Govt. hospitals. A lot of times ,these medications are Generics . As a result, are better than those available from chemists.And cheaper. Hospital pharmacies are not expensive in the main. But ,mostly the quality of medicines ,is far superior.

[elektrified]

Yes, Olaf ,foreigners are charged, both for consultation and prescribed medications. Thais are not, so long as they attend the hospital issuing their health card.If they go to a hospital .not of the name on their health card ,they pay about the same as a foreigner.I have checked the cost of some of my prescribed drugs - one costs a bit over B300 from the hospital pharmacy, online from U.S., its cost is U.S.$ 39.95. I think I know where I would prefer my medication to be supplied from !!

My Thai wife is paying 30bht to visit doctor and another about 50bht for drugs at the government hospital where she is registered and is having her card.

Thais pay, but a little.

Not all Thais go to government hospitals. Some go to private hospitals and pay as much as a foreigner.

The wealthy ones indeed do. But not where I live .We have no private hospital .I believe the nearest Private hospital, is in Surin , about 90 Kilometres away. Olaf ,she should not be paying anything. There is a fiddle going on. Thaksin introduced the B 30 health scheme. After his disposal, the next Govt., made all health care , for Thais ,at Govt. hospitals free. Which it still is at our Govt. Hospital, if you are registered at that hospital. Thais do not pay for normal medical services ,as well as prescriptions. ,Only farang do.

Only wealthy ones?? I would add the middle-class do as well. I don't know any Thais that go to government hospitals. The quality of care is quite poor (Chiang Mai) with the the exception of Suan Dok Hospital and for a Thai to go there for free they would have to live in Amphur Muang only. Many Thais go to private hospitals and pay for their prescriptions just like farangs. Many of them have private insurance. In fact almost all Thais I know have private insurance. Not all are wealthy and some are just barely middle-class. I understand your situation where the only private hospital is 90 km away. That is a different situation from being in a larger city.

[afarang]

555555,. I live in deepest darkest Africa- whoops, not quite, Changwat Buriram,very close to the Cambodian border. Poverty is quite the norm here, amongst the Thais,so the local Govt, hospital is extraordinarily well patronized. And with very few complaints. True ,the doctors are all 1st year, after Grad. , but they are well aware of their limitations. As soon as a situation is beyond their realm of experience, they whack you in an ambulance -off to the Provincial Hospital , where you get specialist treatment. Personally , I have been using my local Horse piddle for 20 years, I have never been to a private doctor or horse piddle, in all the time I have been here.When I first lobbed down here ,there was only one doctor, now there are 4. Gives you some idea of the changes that have occurred. + the Thais receive free consultations, free medications and free dental treatment. I might add that dentistry here is of a very high standard, in a very well equipped and modern surgery.I know nobody ,Thai or farang who has medical insurance. They also have specialist T.B. and Diabetes rooms, as the incidence of both , is very high here. I sometimes wonder ,if there is not an element of snobbery amongst farang ,who would not be seen dead in a Govt. hospital.