Thailand

In 2001, Thailand began the process of implementing a low-cost universal healthcare system. The so-called 30 baht programme (named after the fixed cost of visiting a hospital) has proved politically popular, but has left many hospitals over-burdened with debts, and many doctors leaving the profession due to rising work burdens.

The former military dictatorship of Thailand cited the high cost of drugs in initiating a series of compulsory licenses against western pharmaceutical companies in 2006. However, concerns were raised at the time about the ability of the government-owned Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture drugs to a high standard.

While the rates of tariffs on medicines have been on a downward trajectory in recent years, imported drugs were still marked up by the government in 2006 by and average of 9.57%.