How expensive is medicine here for thai national's

[georgemandm]

My thai partner is not well at all has a very bad  cough and it is  bronchitis so off to the  pharmacy in a city in  issan province yesterday to buy her some   Amoxicillin tablets had the  prescription .

 

All good , great  pharmacists vey  helpful man , not have a problem with the price before you all start having a go at me ok .

 

But it was 220 thi bht for the tables and the price was not made up like they do here ,it the price was on the box already so I paid it .

So if a thai gets the  average wage of 300 thai bht a day that  amounts to 73 % of he's or hers  daily wage .

 

Dose that not make the cost of living in thailand for thai people  in possible .

 

I have seen in the last 7 years of coming here how the price of living is very higher now for Thais .

Back in Australia you would pay $15 Aussie dollars for those tables that is not 73 % of the  average  wage.

so in saying all of that If the inflation in thailand keeps going up like it is for thai people are they in for a very  rough time in the future or if not already.

Would like to hear from TV members on what you all think about how hard it is for thai people now and the future for them this is not about  foreigners it is about Thais .

Yes lots of  foreigners can live well in thailand because of our money from our country I know that .

But the thai people how will they  cope in the future if there cost of living keeps going up and wages stay down .

I have been told by Thais how  expensive thailand is now and from my partners family and friends.

I know I will get the  knockers on here and I can  handle that .

But not about me please , just give me your  thoughts and the members who have had more then 10 or so years here and know more about the place a lot better then me you  thoughts please .

PS it is not just  about medicine I have seen it with pork ,  chicken , fish and the  petrol and  Diesel and the  creams thai people buy in the  supermarket can pay up to 150 thai bht for one bottle that is 50% of the days wages and you all know how Thais love the creams on their body good on them .

 

Have seen it in the  private hospitals in issan as well how much they pay out to see a doctor when my partner  had a little  operation last year cost us me her lots for some thing back home that is free for lady's .

Doctor gives here all this bs tables for something small and wanted her to come back every day to  change the  dressing for the money side of it .

And I ask my partner what happens if you not have the money to have the  operation she just should we  borrow the money . 

I am sure thailand is becoming to  expensive for thai people .

You thoughts please .

 

[Ahab]

It is 73% of the "minimum wage for a single day, The course is 14-21 days (not sure exactly) so if you averaged it out over 2 or 3 weeks the price as a percentage of the daily wage would be significantly less than 73% (a little over 5% of a two week pay period , or 10 days).

[Fithman]

Had your Thai friend not believed your "diagnosis" and sought medical advice from the local Thai hospital he would have paid 30 Bht with any necessary medication included in the in the "excessive" charge.

 

My partner was recently unwell and underwent a surgical procedure, had a four unit blood transfusion and medication  the TOTAL cost was 30 Bht ! 

[pigeonjake]

all i can give is what happens in our village at the local clinic,

and i will add even me, if one of us have to go to see the doctor of we go to the clinic, very nice young doctor, i was the last one there with a chest infection, sounded my chest gave me the meds and cough syrup no charge, and its allways the same, we never get charged, wheather its me, my wife or the kids no charge,

 

we did pay for a special room for my wife having the kids but that was in sakaeo not in the village, but great room, own shower, doctor to see and stitch stait away, cant remember the exact amount but it wasnt more then 5k

i thought it was great that she was in good hands,

 

jake

[Fithman]

5 minutes ago, pigeonjake said:

all i can give is what happens in our village at the local clinic,

and i will add even me, if one of us have to go to see the doctor of we go to the clinic, very nice young doctor, i was the last one there with a chest infection, sounded my chest gave me the meds and cough syrup no charge, and its allways the same, we never get charged, wheather its me, my wife or the kids no charge,

 

we did pay for a special room for my wife having the kids but that was in sakaeo not in the village, but great room, own shower, doctor to see and stitch stait away, cant remember the exact amount but it wasnt more then 5k

i thought it was great that she was in good hands,

 

jake

 

Sure.   A private on suit room will attract a charge even for a Thai seeking care in a Thai hospital. 

[georgemandm]

1 hour ago, Ahab said:

It is 73% of the "minimum wage for a single day, The course is 14-21 days (not sure exactly) so if you averaged it out over 2 or 3 weeks the price as a percentage of the daily wage would be significantly less than 73% (a little over 5% of a two week pay period , or 10 days).

What sorry a thai makes 300 thai bht a day do they not ? . 

Yes so you work closer to one day to buy your  medicine is that not right.

not understand what you are saying sorry 

i see like I just told you 

if I work one day back home I get $25 for one hour yes and I pay $15 for my  medicine yes so not a lot of money you can't look at over 2 to 3 weeks 

the  course of  medicine is 6 days 

[georgemandm]

Just now, georgemandm said:

What sorry a thai makes 300 thai bht a day do they not ? . 

Yes so you work closer to one day to buy your  medicine is that not right.

not understand what you are saying sorry 

i see like I just told you 

if I work one day back home I get $25 for one hour yes and I pay $15 for my  medicine yes so not a lot of money you can't look at over 2 to 3 weeks 

the  course of  medicine is 6 days 

And I am very good at  figures when it comes to making money I can tell you how much it would cost me  Per kilometre to run my truck  Business 

i can tell you how much  profit make in one hour 

 

[BudRight]

The diagnosis was what exactly?

 

All you described were some symptoms and then...amoxicillin. Why that particular antibiotic? What if it's a virus? Some tumors also have those symptoms. 

 

Go to a hospital and let an actual physician make the diagnosis.

Edited October 7, 2016 by BudRight

[Ahab]

45 minutes ago, georgemandm said:

What sorry a thai makes 300 thai bht a day do they not ? . 

Yes so you work closer to one day to buy your  medicine is that not right.

not understand what you are saying sorry 

i see like I just told you 

if I work one day back home I get $25 for one hour yes and I pay $15 for my  medicine yes so not a lot of money you can't look at over 2 to 3 weeks 

the  course of  medicine is 6 days 

My point was that 300 baht is the minimum wage not average or above average but the minimum, Your point was that medicine is expensive and how do Thai people working for minimum wage afford it. As other posters have shown, the government medicine is much cheaper than 220 baht. You picked a more expensive choice than most Thai people working for minimum or below minimum wage would ever make. So the answer to your OP is that most Thai people at the bottom of the wage scale would not choose to get medicine (or medical care) in the same place that you did.

 

Cheers.

[1FinickyOne]

some people have savings and not everything is figured on a daily basis... if a flight costs $1000+ does that mean that nobody who does not have a daily wage of $1000+ can afford to fly? 

 

This is why people should have savings and most people understand that. 

[georgemandm]

1 hour ago, georgemandm said:

What sorry a thai makes 300 thai bht a day do they not ? . 

Yes so you work closer to one day to buy your  medicine is that not right.

not understand what you are saying sorry 

i see like I just told you 

if I work one day back home I get $25 for one hour yes and I pay $15 for my  medicine yes so not a lot of money you can't look at over 2 to 3 weeks 

the  course of  medicine is 6 days 

And I am very good at  figures when it comes to making money I can tell you how much it would cost me  Per kilometre to run my truck  Business 

i can tell you how much  profit make in one hour 

Not my thai friend is it read it again and you tell me have you been to government thai  hospitals you seat all day Thais not like it at all .

tell me what do you do if you can't get in to the government  hospital die .

look at the hole  Picture thai is over  inflated for thai people .

 

thais not save do they and most people don't pay a days wage for tablets do there 

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, georgemandm said:

And I am very good at  figures when it comes to making money I can tell you how much it would cost me  Per kilometre to run my truck  Business 

i can tell you how much  profit make in one hour 

Not my thai friend is it read it again and you tell me have you been to government thai  hospitals you seat all day Thais not like it at all .

tell me what do you do if you can't get in to the government  hospital die .

look at the hole  Picture thai is over  inflated for thai people .

 

thais not save do they and most people don't pay a days wage for tablets do there 

In what part of Australia do they talk/write like this?

[Kwasaki]

4 hours ago, BudRight said:

The diagnosis was what exactly?

 

All you described were some symptoms and then...amoxicillin. Why that particular antibiotic? What if it's a virus? Some tumors also have those symptoms. 

 

Go to a hospital and let an actual physician make the diagnosis.

 

Well to answer OP question " how expensive is medicine for Thai nationals "  = 30 baht.

I agree but hope the OP's partner gets well.
Like yeah  " and it is bronchitis "  where did the diagnoses come from the pharmacist. ?

 

[mania]

Usually Amox is capsules not tablets & definitely not 220 baht

 

The pharmacist seeing a foreigner may have given you name brand amoxicillin?

Thinking that is what you would demand

 

Thai's do not buy name brand drugs neither do I

Thai's buy Coamox 500 etc comes on cards of 10 caps cheap as chips

They do not come in boxes usually you buy a couple cards & they put it in a small plastic ziploc & write the instructions on the bag

 

Looks like this

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2016 by mania

[1FinickyOne]

In answer to your question about how Thai people will cope... w/inflation and such...

 

The simple answer is that they coped fine before we got here and will cope fine after we leave... 

 

And not sure why your medical costs are so high. I know countless stories in the family of people going to decent government hospitals and having extended treatment, and operations and drugs all for 30 baht... essentially free. 

 

ps - you complained of the wait at the govt hospital and asked if people die... 

 

They do not die from the wait - these hospital have Emergency Rooms for people in immediate need. 

Edited October 7, 2016 by kenk24

[georgemandm]

12 hours ago, Ahab said:

It is 73% of the "minimum wage for a single day, The course is 14-21 days (not sure exactly) so if you averaged it out over 2 or 3 weeks the price as a percentage of the daily wage would be significantly less than 73% (a little over 5% of a two week pay period , or 10 days).

Ok thanks not about us about them 

if you go government hospital yes I know about that but lots of Thais go to private hospital as well cost lots .

you can seat all day in a government hospital to be seen I am told in that cost them 300 thai bht in lose wages dose it not .

no sick pay in thailand for the poor.