Prices for medicines in Thailand: transparency or rip-off?

Prices for medicines in Thailand: transparency or rip-off?

There is a breath of fresh air in the healthcare sector in Thailand: Over 300 private hospitals now have the opportunity to provide their patients with a medication list that allows them to purchase medication from participating pharmacies. This legal innovation comes into force immediately after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Thai government and the private hospitals. This important step was officially announced on November 4, 2025.

Minister of Trade Supachai Suethanaporn highlights that this measure is intended to help reduce healthcare costs. “It is time to make drug prices transparent and give patients the freedom to choose where they get their medicine from,” he explains. The aim is for patients to know the prices for their medication before paying and can therefore make an informed purchasing decision. This approach could reduce the cost of living by over 30 billion baht annually.

More transparency for patients

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has emphasized that cooperation should be encouraged to ensure accurate and complete representation of medicines on prescriptions. This is considered urgently necessary by many consumers. However, critics, including consumer rights advocates, raise concerns about the high prices of medicines in private hospitals. On top of that, many patients report that they did not receive fair prices for medical consumables. An example: While a 1 liter infusion solution only costs around 45 baht in the pharmacy, it is offered in hospitals for up to 919 baht.

The price differences for common medications are particularly explosive: Paracetamol costs 0.27 baht per tablet when purchased, but is available in clinics for 2 to 23 baht. Amoxicillin, which costs 1.20 baht to purchase, is also sometimes sold at prices between 4.50 and 36 baht. This makes it clear that there is a need for action to establish fair and transparent pricing models.

Criticism and possible improvements

The supporters of the new project “สุขกาย สบายกระเป๋า” (Health and Wallet) are optimistic: According to the initiators, over 300 hospitals and more than 3,400 pharmacies are already involved in this program. Patients are now able to use the medication list after a treatment to compare prices. However, critics complain that the option of buying medication outside of the hospital is not new and is often not sufficiently communicated by the treating doctors.

It remains to be seen what effect these innovations will have. The demand for more transparency and clear pricing information in the healthcare industry is becoming louder and louder. Many people in Thailand rely on not only receiving good care, but also paying fair prices for their medication.