The Medical Malpractice Victims' network yesterday said a private hospital in Bangkok charged Bt3 million for treatment of a patient with typeA (H1N1) influenza who later died, apparently due to delayed treatment.
The network's chairperson, Preeyanant Lorsermwattana, said she recently received a complaint from an older sister of a 28 year-old-man who was infected with the new flu virus and later died.
She was speaking at a seminar entitled "People and the way to handle the pandemic of toeA (H1N1) flu 2009" organised by the National Economic and Social Advisory Council.
She explained that the man had developed flulike symptoms, including a high fever, and was admitted at a private hospital in Bang Na district. A doctor injected him with medicine and told him to stay at home. But a day later he had a high fever again and was rushed to the same hospital. The hospital transferred him to another private hospital nearby.
The patient was admitted to the second hospital for a few days but his symptoms did not improve. His relatives wanted to transfer him to another private hospital in Bangkok but the second hospital did not want to do that and did not give any reason for keeping him at the hospital.
His relatives asked the second hospital to copy the man's medical records and send them to the third hospital. to other private hospital to seeking for the better treatment. They say they sent the patient medical record to a fivestar hospital in Bangkok but got a response from another private hospital, this one in the Sukhumvit area.
They say the man was transferred to this hospital and admitted for four days but his symptoms developed into a severe condition. His relatives now wanted to transfer him to Siriraj Hospital
For the cost of medical treatment only at the private hospital in the Sukhumvit area, his sister had to pay Bt2 million. She had to sell cars and houses to gain money to save her younger brother' life. But he later died, without having been trans¬ferred to Siriraj.
Dr Auechart Kanchanapitak, president of the Private Hospitals Association, did not give any details as to how the association controlled the price of medical treatment for patient with this year's admitted to private hospitals.
He suggested that patients should go to a hospital where they have registered under the government's healthcare services, including the universal healthcare scheme, the social security fund and the civil servants medical benefits programme.
"When you go to a private hospital you already known that you will pay a lot of money and this is your choice," he said.
"If you don't want to pay a lot of money for medical treatment at a private hospital you just go to a hos¬pital where you have the right to access free treatment," he added.
Dr Tawatchai Vanichkorn, direc¬tor of Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital, told The Nation that the normal rate of influenza treatment for an inpatient at a private hospital was Bt20,000 a day while the cost for admission to an intensive care unit and use of a respirator was Bt50,000.