FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Where to complain about hospital overpricing

Where to complain about hospital overpricing

The Ministry of Commerce’s Department of Internal Trade will establish a centre at the middle of next month to hear complaints about private hospitals overcharging patients.

The move follows the July 31 deadline given the country’s 353 private hospitals to voluntarily submit records of what they paid and what they charge on resale for more than 3,000 types of medicine, particularly those available under the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients.
Prayot Pensut, the department’s deputy director-general, said the aim was to assure fair pricing for consumers. 
Only about 70 hospitals submitted pricing records, he said, even with the deadline extended from July 12.
The records will be published at www.dit.go.th so citizens can check the likely price range before visiting a hospital.
Meanwhile the Central Committee on Prices of Goods and Services will set price ceilings for medical supplies and services, Prayot said.
The complaints centre is being established because it’s anticipated that many people will have grievances about overpricing. 
It will be open to the public within the department’s compound in Nonthaburi’s Sanam Bin Nam area, but there is also a department hotline – 1569 – and upcountry residents can file complaints in their own provinces’ Ministry of Commerce offices.
Department officials are being trained to man the centre in Nonthaburi and provincial offices, learning about different medicines and the laws and regulations involved.

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