A Thai friend  who lives in Bangkok told me that she has to pay for goverment hospital care if she attends in Bangkok.

She can only get free care if she goes back to her home province government hospital.

Can anybody confirm if this is true or not?

I have just asked my wife, she said you can only get 30 baht scheme in your own area, unless you have written consent from a local hospital.

Yes its true

 Mrs could get cover in home area of  BKK but not PKK until she registered at Prachuap hospital

Colinneil is correct. But in case of an emergency you can of course visit any hospital. In any other case she would need a referral from the hospital she is currently registered with.

As above - she can only get care at the hospital where she is registered or another hospital it refers her to, unless it is an emergency in which  case she can get care at any government hospital.

 

She can, however, change where she is registered to where she is now living, requires getting onto a house book (tabian ban) in Bangkok and coming off the one she is on in her home province.  Only worth doing if she expects to be in Bangkok long term.

 

As so many people in Bangkok rent and it is sometimes hard for renters to get on a tabian ban it is possible (not sure) that the hospitals will except other proof of residence like lease - would have to ask at the hospital which covers the area where she lives.