Prescription; Government Hospital vs. Private Hospital cost

[DoDoey]

I take two prescription medications that can only be dispensed by a hospital here in Thailand. I've tried Fascinos, they said I need to go to the hospital, by the way. My question is this: Are medications more expensive, or are as expensive in a government hospital compared to a private hospital? I've picked these meds up at Phra Ram 9 before, and I was shocked at the cost. My understanding is that pharmacies are a major income source for both private and public hospitals, so I don't anticipate much of a difference, and I know for a fact it will be a much more pleasant experience going to the private hospital. However, to placate my wife, I've promised to look into it. Anyone know the answer to this general question?

[lopburi3]

Much cheaper at Government Hospitals in general but if an imported only medication may be expensive anywhere - but you will need to have prescribed by a doctor there and there are cases of false billing known to happen - but even then likely to be cheaper than a private hospital.

[DoDoey]

Much cheaper at Government Hospitals in general but if an imported only medication may be expensive anywhere - but you will need to have prescribed by a doctor there and there are cases of false billing known to happen - but even then likely to be cheaper than a private hospital.

They are imported, and I understand there will probably be some savings going to a government hospital. But the hassle, the wait, etc. will it be worth it?

[lopburi3]

Not sure how anyone but you can answer that without further information.

[DoDoey]

Not sure how anyone but you can answer that without further information.

How about somebody that has gotten prescriptions from a government hospital and a private hospital, duh.

[Sheryl]

No need to be snippy. I think what he means is, would have to know the drug in question.

Government hospitals usually do not mark up drugs, private hospitals do and usually by quite a lot. However the proportional mark up is less for really expensive imports since there is after all a limit to how much people can pay. So if what you need is already very expensive without hospital mark-up, the difference between price at a govt vs private hosp may not be as great, but if you would state what the drug is perhaps someone else here who is also on it can say more exactly.

An alternative you might want to consider is a non-profit private hospital. I generally find the mark-ups on drugs at St. Louis to be not so bad. Certainly nothing like the for-profit hospitals. But same advantages in terms of convenience. Being seen at a government hospital can literally be an all day affair, and you can't chose your doctor.

[inbangkok]

No need to be snippy. I think what he means is, would have to know the drug in question.

This....there is a good chance someone can give you exact advice if we know the two drugs you are taking.

[debrakfurlow]

I have been Ram. Meds: Crestor, previcid, ambian, lamictal, cymbalta, celebrex. Ram hospital cost of Dr & meds 16000b. Twice what I pay out of pocket with ins. Most of them are now generic but the cost is still the same as the original.

Then I went to CMU TEACHING hospital/gov. The Gov side is Sriphat. It was only 12000b, but was minus one med. A nd the ambian is dispensed 10 pills at a time even though I brought every medical file and a Cvs list of meds for the last 4 yrs. My meds were prescribed 90 at the time. Thailand refused.to continue the practice. I hope when I get all these back home BCBS will reimburse me. So every month I payout almost $500. So far all I've really saved is 1/2 cost on rent. I think the LIVE HERE FOR $1200 AND LIVE BIG is a stretch.

.

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[KittenKong]

Government hospitals usually do not mark up drugs, private hospitals do and usually by quite a lot.

Apparently the government hospital in Soi Buakow Pattaya charges farangs double the price for medicine.

Private hospitals that I have been to in the area seem to charge anything up to 5 times the price of the cheapest outside pharmacy for common medicines (identical brand/packaging), and always much more than the most expensive outside pharmacy cost. But I've not noticed any of them imposing any special extra farang charge.

As a result I now refuse point-blank to buy any medicine from any hospital here (assuming it is available in a pharmacy, of course). And I make a point of telling them why.

[h90]

No need to be snippy. I think what he means is, would have to know the drug in question.

Government hospitals usually do not mark up drugs, private hospitals do and usually by quite a lot. However the proportional mark up is less for really expensive imports since there is after all a limit to how much people can pay. So if what you need is already very expensive without hospital mark-up, the difference between price at a govt vs private hosp may not be as great, but if you would state what the drug is perhaps someone else here who is also on it can say more exactly.

An alternative you might want to consider is a non-profit private hospital. I generally find the mark-ups on drugs at St. Louis to be not so bad. Certainly nothing like the for-profit hospitals. But same advantages in terms of convenience. Being seen at a government hospital can literally be an all day affair, and you can't chose your doctor.

Couldn't you buy the medicine outside in a pharmacy instead?

[ignis]

prescription medications, or is that a prescription medications in your home Country ? [with a Brand name]

​Most medication can be bought over the counter, = same but a different name made locally.. have you gone to a proper Thai Pharmacy ? [NOT some drug store or drug store supermarket where some girl will look and say No have] take your meds and ask the Pharmacist in a proper Thai Pharmacy for the Thai version.

Maybe worth a try + if you can buy would be a fraction of the imported brand named ones

Myself have to take 'prescription medication' for rest of my life.... 11 years ago when I came here 14 days supply at a Hospital was 1,600 baht, found a Thai Pharmacy that sold the same [imported from Switzerland] cost 960 baht, asking after a few months about a Thai Version simple yes have that, No problem with the Thai Version in 10 years, bought another 5 x 14 day supply only last week cost 235 baht per pack.... at that time the Thai Pharmacy was open only in the evenings, both the older husband and wife were both Drs working at hospitals in the day.......

The Thai Pharmacy I have used for a number of years now [open in the day time = easier for me] the older Lady is a retired Dr, her son in his 40's runs the Pharmacy well up on everything.......... Same as my Dr here for years is only open in the evenings as works at a big Hospital in the day + cost a fraction of the price than seeing the same Dr at the Hospital.

[inbangkok]

I have been Ram. Meds: Crestor, previcid, ambian, lamictal, cymbalta, celebrex. Ram hospital cost of Dr & meds 16000b. Twice what I pay out of pocket with ins. Most of them are now generic but the cost is still the same as the original.

Then I went to CMU TEACHING hospital/gov. The Gov side is Sriphat. It was only 12000b, but was minus one med. A nd the ambian is dispensed 10 pills at a time even though I brought every medical file and a Cvs list of meds for the last 4 yrs. My meds were prescribed 90 at the time. Thailand refused.to continue the practice. I hope when I get all these back home BCBS will reimburse me. So every month I payout almost $500. So far all I've really saved is 1/2 cost on rent. I think the LIVE HERE FOR $1200 AND LIVE BIG is a stretch.

.

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I have seen a few of these medications at pharmacies.....so no, you don't have to buy them at a hospital. That being said, brand name drugs are still expensive in pharmacies (but cheaper then hospitals).

[debrakfurlow]

Thanks for all the recommendations for Thai pharmacies. Can I get the names of a few?

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[DoDoey]

prescription medications, or is that a prescription medications in your home Country ? [with a Brand name]

​Most medication can be bought over the counter, = same but a different name made locally.. have you gone to a proper Thai Pharmacy ? [NOT some drug store or drug store supermarket where some girl will look and say No have] take your meds and ask the Pharmacist in a proper Thai Pharmacy for the Thai version.

Maybe worth a try + if you can buy would be a fraction of the imported brand named ones

Myself have to take 'prescription medication' for rest of my life.... 11 years ago when I came here 14 days supply at a Hospital was 1,600 baht, found a Thai Pharmacy that sold the same [imported from Switzerland] cost 960 baht, asking after a few months about a Thai Version simple yes have that, No problem with the Thai Version in 10 years, bought another 5 x 14 day supply only last week cost 235 baht per pack.... at that time the Thai Pharmacy was open only in the evenings, both the older husband and wife were both Drs working at hospitals in the day.......

The Thai Pharmacy I have used for a number of years now [open in the day time = easier for me] the older Lady is a retired Dr, her son in his 40's runs the Pharmacy well up on everything.......... Same as my Dr here for years is only open in the evenings as works at a big Hospital in the day + cost a fraction of the price than seeing the same Dr at the Hospital.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Again, these are medicines that can only be dispensed from a hospital pharmacy, legally that is. My question, as stated in the OP and subject line is "Are government hospitals less expensive than private hospitals, regarding prescriptions". No need to know the name of the medicine, no need to talk about pharmacies. Just a general question..Thank you.

[inbangkok]

prescription medications, or is that a prescription medications in your home Country ? [with a Brand name]

​Most medication can be bought over the counter, = same but a different name made locally.. have you gone to a proper Thai Pharmacy ? [NOT some drug store or drug store supermarket where some girl will look and say No have] take your meds and ask the Pharmacist in a proper Thai Pharmacy for the Thai version.

Maybe worth a try + if you can buy would be a fraction of the imported brand named ones

Myself have to take 'prescription medication' for rest of my life.... 11 years ago when I came here 14 days supply at a Hospital was 1,600 baht, found a Thai Pharmacy that sold the same [imported from Switzerland] cost 960 baht, asking after a few months about a Thai Version simple yes have that, No problem with the Thai Version in 10 years, bought another 5 x 14 day supply only last week cost 235 baht per pack.... at that time the Thai Pharmacy was open only in the evenings, both the older husband and wife were both Drs working at hospitals in the day.......

The Thai Pharmacy I have used for a number of years now [open in the day time = easier for me] the older Lady is a retired Dr, her son in his 40's runs the Pharmacy well up on everything.......... Same as my Dr here for years is only open in the evenings as works at a big Hospital in the day + cost a fraction of the price than seeing the same Dr at the Hospital.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Again, these are medicines that can only be dispensed from a hospital pharmacy, legally that is. My question, as stated in the OP and subject line is "Are government hospitals less expensive than private hospitals, regarding prescriptions". No need to know the name of the medicine, no need to talk about pharmacies. Just a general question..Thank you.

Um, why do you think a medication like "prevacid" has to be obtain by a hospital pharmacy to be legal? It is medication that controls stomach acid. Pharmacists in Thailand are allowed to legally dispense many medications that are "prescriptions" in the West without a prescription here in Thailand.

Edited September 6, 2014 by inbangkok

[ignis]

The OP could Google his prescription medications for the Thai version/name, maybe a Thai Drs has no idea ? or he is the only person in Thailand taking this sort of medication very rare condition ? then there would be no call for the Thai Version that Thai people could afford

[DoDoey]

The OP could Google his prescription medications for the Thai version/name, maybe a Thai Drs has no idea ? or he is the only person in Thailand taking this sort of medication very rare condition ? then there would be no call for the Thai Version that Thai people could afford

There are medicines that contain narcotics that can only be dispensed by hospitals. It's the law here in Thailand. Regardless of your nationality, if a doctor prescribes it, you have to get it from a hospital pharmacy. Valium, Xanax, etc. Prevacid, as another poster mentioned, does not fall into this class of controlled substances.

[harrry]

Only way to know is to go to both hospitals and check. People may be able to tell you their costs if they knew what drug you took but the only answer is to find out yourself.

[DoDoey]

Only way to know is to go to both hospitals and check. People may be able to tell you their costs if they knew what drug you took but the only answer is to find out yourself.

Reply deleted by OP for reason of common sense.

[Sheryl]

I have been Ram. Meds: Crestor, previcid, ambian, lamictal, cymbalta, celebrex. Ram hospital cost of Dr & meds 16000b. Twice what I pay out of pocket with ins. Most of them are now generic but the cost is still the same as the original.

Then I went to CMU TEACHING hospital/gov. The Gov side is Sriphat. It was only 12000b, but was minus one med. A nd the ambian is dispensed 10 pills at a time even though I brought every medical file and a Cvs list of meds for the last 4 yrs. My meds were prescribed 90 at the time. Thailand refused.to continue the practice. I hope when I get all these back home BCBS will reimburse me. So every month I payout almost $500. So far all I've really saved is 1/2 cost on rent. I think the LIVE HERE FOR $1200 AND LIVE BIG is a stretch.

.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The Ambien you have no choice but to get at a hospital, by law. And no Thai hospital will dispense that in large quantity.

Cymbalta requires a prescription. There are a few large outside pharmacies that will fill prescriptions, most do not making it often necessary to go to a hospital.

The other meds can be purchased at a pharmacy and require no presecription in Thailand.

In the Chiang Mai area, suggest Fascino Pharmacy on Suthep Road Tel: 053 278 259

If you join their membership scheme first you can get I think a 5-10% discount.

[debrakfurlow]

Thank you for pharmacy names.

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[Doc46]

Much cheaper at Government Hospitals in general but if an imported only medication may be expensive anywhere - but you will need to have prescribed by a doctor there and there are cases of false billing known to happen - but even then likely to be cheaper than a private hospital.

They are imported, and I understand there will probably be some savings going to a government hospital. But the hassle, the wait, etc. will it be worth it?

I did go to a government Hospital for my meds,,After that I took the meds boxes to a few Chemist and found that I could buy all the meds and higher doses of meds then the Hospital for same price as the Hospital and no waiting for hours and a lot cheaper the the Privet Hospitals.

[Jaedmon]

DoDoey seems to know everything. Why is he asking for help?

[Kasset Tak]

You have a pharmacy close to MBK that is a university run pharmacy, I bought some medicines that I have not been able to find anywhere else here in Thailand at a low cost ther! They can probably help you if you have a prescription.

[nongsangcity]

if you live here in Thailand....are married and have a yellow house book you can get on the thai national health scheme.............I get my tablets from my local hospital for 30 baht the same as a thai person.......I get the same tablets here as I did from my GP in England.....30 bht every 3 months......works out 10 baht per month or 0.33 bht a day..............

Edited September 6, 2014 by nongsangcity

[shaurene]

I was in one private hospital in Khon Kaen with very bad bronchitis and the gave me a Seretide Accuhaler Glaxo Sweden they prescribed one when I left and could not believe the price 2500baht I checked around couple pharmacys in Khon Kaen and got 2 for 1400baht. From that point I check what they are prescribing me and get my wife to checkout he price of them at the pharmacy if hospital price is hell of a lot more I get them to take it off my medication and go and buy it.

Must think you bloody stupid being Falange

[Surasak]

Two years ago I was paying 1200Baht for 15 Prevacid at a small private hospital. Asked the doctor to write me the precription to take to a pharmacy and paid 740Baht for the same amount in the same packaging. I still only pay 740 Baht and don't even have to ask for the scrip, the pharmasist just takes off the shelf and I pay the money.. A government hospital will be cheaper than private but the inconvenience in my opinion is not worth the time involved.

[belg]

gov vs. private ?

my experience (with kids) ... in the governement, you see the doctor, get the prescription, get the meds ... all in ... is cheaper than just the doctor fee in the private one ...

sometimes doc/meds in govt. are even cheaper than the same meds you can buy in the pharmacy on your own, without any advise...

medicine in private hospital's pharmacy = buy in price x 3

[gamini]

Not sure how anyone but you can answer that without further information.

How about somebody that has gotten prescriptions from a government hospital and a private hospital, duh.

Government hospital LORAPAZAM 30 tablets 1mg mdicine cost bt 120 doctor 300

privte hospital Sao Paulo Hua Hin same medicine doctor Bt600 medicine Bt800.

Most private hospitals make thier money out of prescriptions, Fascino is very expensive compared to Whiolesaale Chinese pharmacies.

The latter can even provide most prescription medicine without prescription except sleeping tablets and codiene pain killer.

[gamini]

Thanks for all the recommendations for Thai pharmacies. Can I get the names of a few?

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SOUTH WEST pharmacy soi 13-15 sukuvit. You can buy crestor, cymbalta celebrex etc. there much cheaper than government hospitals, Ambien is only sold by Hospitals,