The government's plan to put medical supplies and medical service charges on the state price control list in order to deal with price gouging is a long-overdue effort that should be completed in no time.
According to Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong, the plan will be tabled at a meeting of the central committee on prices of goods and services early next month. The panel is due to meet on Jan 9.
If approved, the proposal will be forwarded to the cabinet for passage.
Private hospitals emerged as an option for a number of people in recent years given their quality and time-efficient services, compared to state-run hospitals which often cannot sufficiently meet patients' demands. Some health establishments invest heavily in luxury services, that are not core to the business, to attract customers. But complaints about overcharging by private hospitals have forced the state to step in. It's unfortunate that people who suffer from illnesses have to such face rip-offs by greedy individuals in the healthcare sector.
Mr Sontirat on Wednesday chaired a joint meeting that was attended by Commerce Ministry officials and representatives from the Public Health Ministry, private hospitals, the Foundation for Consumers, and insurance companies.
The Foundation for Consumers last year gathered over 50,000 signatures on a petition calling on the government to impose regulations on the price of procedures at private hospitals.
The price control list is an initial step. The Internal Trade Department said that once it is approved, state officials will be allowed to exercise the power to issue measures to regulate medical supplies and medical services, such as recovery room charges, food charges, and x-ray and patient care charges.
There is also an idea of forming a subcommittee to study, develop and implement measures on profit margin limits, which can help ensure reasonable rates for medical service charges. Such a sub-panel or working group must include all stakeholders, especially advocates of consumers' right, to guarantee that all decisions are transparent and of public benefit.
At the same time, the authorities should go ahead with the plan to require private hospitals to post medicine prices and other charges that will enable prospective clients to make an informed decision. There must be measures to ensure that there are no hidden costs.
These steps should be taken without further delay once the price control plan gets the greenlight from the government.
It is known that some hospitals sell medicines, even those of generic type, at higher prices, sometimes 200-300% higher than those sold in pharmacies.
This must be stopped. At the same time, there must be a system that allows patients and their families to purchase medicines from other pharmacies, not only from hospitals where they receive treatment.
Similar price control mechanism is also needed for pharmacies.
Mr Sontirat told the media that the price control proposal is only a short-term measure that allows the government to exercise measures to take care of people with regard to public complaints about overcharging by some private hospitals.
In the long term, the minister said, the government needs to hold talks to form policy directives to regulate professional medical services, as well as doctor consultation fees.
Mr Sontirat's move is worthy of the government's support.
Regulating medical services, including through price controls, is a necessary. It's true that private hospitals are for-profit organisations, and not a charity.
But those medical establishments must also stick to moral principles, as well as good governance, and avoid unfair rip-off practices that traumatise the patients and their families.
Unfair price gouging will adversely affect the medical sector as a whole. Unless properly addressed, such unethical practice will ruin the government's goal of turning Thailand into the region's hub for medical tourism.