I will be leaving hospital tommorow after a 4 day stay. I know they will be wanting to give me meds for my recovery.

My question is this: must I buy the meds from the hospital (which are always more expensive), or is it possible to have them give me a prescription which I can fill at a pharmacy outside at a considerable discount.

Not sure what the meds may be...most likely just a powerful antibiotic.

Thanks!

Sure, just ask your doctor BEFORE they make up the bill for your stay.

Mac

Per above. Have the doctor write you a prescription.

No names no pack drill but a few years ago I assisted an elderly westerner who had no friends or family who had a stay in a local private hospital and when he left I went through his bill and the robbing bastards had charged him 80 baht each for those rehydration powder sachets you mix with water. What are they in the minimart? 5 baht for small and 10 for the biggies? Luckily I was there to sort it out poor old bugger.

cool, thanks for the answers

cool, thanks for the answers

Yes don't let them con you,I was once charged 1800 bahts,for medication that Boots assured me they would have given me for 800 bahts,

Another hospital also once prescribed Pheno Barbitone for my pregnant wife,which I happened to know can possibly cause deformaties in the Foetus,her Clinic Doctor was horrified,when she looked at the hospital prescription,and said to me she hasn't taken any has she? I said "no I have already crunched them up and binned them"she obviously didn't need them at all,in the first place.

I considered putting in a formal complaint,but realised it was a waste of time.

In the event this does not pan out (some private hospitals have policies against the doc doing this, others maybe not a written policy but they definitely pressure the docs not to) , the other approach is when at the pharmacy counter, go through the meds and put aside everything other than narcotic pain killers (if any are provided)Tell them with a smile that you "already have these", make note to yourself of what it was, and have them refund that from your bill. While it would obviously be less work for all concerned to let you go through the meds first before the bill is tallied, I've yet top find a hospital that lets you do this.

I find the "already have" line works a lot better than saying you intend to buy it outside, or don't think you need it. Which brings me to another point, i.e. you will almost certainly be given a number of different meds, only 1 or 2 of which you will actually need.

Antibiotic, obviously needed and no need for a prescription, they are sold over the counter here, just note name and dose.

Vitamins obviously you can forgo or buy yourself. Paracetemol or NSAID pain killer ditto.

If however they prescribe tylenol with codeine or other narcotic pain killer and you think you need it, buy it from the hospital pharmacy as script or no script, you can't get it outside.