The government announced that private hospitals would offer the two doses of the Moderna-produced COVID-19 vaccine for a maximum price of 3,000 baht.
According to the Private Hospital Association, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization hopes to order Moderna shots first while importing vaccines for paid use. The GPO will be the middle man, as manufacturers generally work with governments, but there is no information on a timeline.
The public health minister estimated yesterday that Moderna’s vaccine would arrive in Thailand in the last two quarters of the current year.
The association’s medical facilities agreed to match the price, placing the vaccine on the Ministry of Commerce’s price control list. The cost, including all taxes and insurance, is expected to be no more than 3,000 baht.
The vaccine’s price is around 1,200 baht per dose.
But hospitals are adding an insurance package for treatment and care in case of any side effects for allergic reactions with The General Insurance Association and the Office of the Insurance Commission.
The coverage would be around 90-100 days from the first shot, costing 50-100 baht.
The first step in the process is estimating how many vaccines will be needed, and officials have started surveys to determine the demand before procuring. The government is urging people to register the Mor Prom Line account to make the estimate.
However, authorities advise people to try getting free government jabs as private vaccination is not currently available. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fined a hospital last year for registering people for a vaccine when there were still no alternatives in the country.
Importing vaccines can be a bit tricky as a license to bring biological products is required.
Nonetheless, help from the GOP is expected to simplify the process. Under that plan, private hospitals hope to offer a paid vaccine in the Mor Prom’s account as an alternative to the government’s vaccination program.
But they were not allowed to use the same brands to avoid a conflict of interest.
Moderna is a likely vaccine option to import, but the government intends to use shots from Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson. It also plans to import Russia’s Sputnik V and the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, approved by the World Health Organization on Friday.
