Hospitals that charge emergency patients will face legal action under the new sanatorium law, according to the Health Service Support Department (HSSD).
Boonruang Triruangworawat, directorgeneral of the HSSD, has commented that the 2016 Sanatorium Act stipulates that hospitals must waive medical fees for patients who are admitted to the emergency unit. The law is aimed at standardising the quality of state and private hospitals for better patient care. The Act was published in the Royal Gazette on December 20th last year and has been in effect since December 21st. Under the Act, hospitals are also required to disclose the names of their medical staff, medical and drug fees and other expenses associated with non-emergency cases, and they must charge patients in accordance with the rates they announce.
Hospital managers who charge their patients more than the stipulated rates will face a maximum jail term of one year and/or a fine of up to 20,000 THB. Bureau of Sanatorium and Arts of Healing director Arkhom Praditsuwan said that along with the medical fees, the new law would help regulate exaggerated advertisements by sanatoriums. All hospitals in Bangkok are required to get permission from the HSSD before they can release public advertisements, while sanatoriums in other provinces must receive approval from provincial health offices for their advertisements. Under the Act, hospitals that are found guilty of exaggerations in their advertisements would face a harsher penalty than in previous years. The penalty has been increased from only a fine to a one-year jail term, a maximum fine of 20,000 THB or both.
Offenders will also face a 10,000 THB fine every day until they cease the advertising. Those who launch ads without
permission will also face a 20,000 THB fine, along with a fine of 10,000 THB a day until they stop advertising.
Bangkok Post