Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is pondering legal action against a private hospital for allegedly overcharging a patient who was admitted suffering with acute diarrhea.

A well-informed source said that the Internal Trade Department of the Commerce Ministry has launched a fact-finding probe, in response to a complaint lodged via the department’s hotline 1569, by a consumer who claimed he was charged about 30,000 baht by a private hospital after he was admitted for treatment of acute diarrhea.

An initial investigation showed that the private hospital, whose name was withheld, had indeed overcharged the patient for several items of medication and services.

The source said that the department would soon ask the executive, or a representative of the hospital, in for questioning.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the department was in the process of inviting executives and representatives of 70 private hospitals to discussions after it was discovered that they had allegedly overcharged for medications by a factor of 3-9 times above market prices.