New law clamps down on hospitals

Hospitals which 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, yesterday said 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 Dec 20 last year and has been in effect since Dec 21.

Under the act, hospitals are also required to disclose to 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 baht.

Dr Boonruang said the department has written to hospitals nationwide about the matter, instructing them to comply with the regulations in the new law.

Meanwhile, 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 as well.

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 baht or both. Offenders will also face a 10,000-baht fine every day until they cease the false advertising.

Those who launch ads without permission will also face a 20,000-baht fine along with a fine of 10,000 baht a day until they stop advertising.

Backers of advertisements that have been released to the public before the law came into effect are required to ask permission from the HSSD or provincial health offices within 90 days from when the law became active.

Those who run sanatoriums illegally also face tougher punishment now — a maximum jail term of three to five years along with a maximum fine of 100,000 baht, Mr Arkhom added. The fine was previously capped at 60,000 baht.