Dato Sebastian – GST on medication

suppadmin | January 8, 2015

Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Secretary General, Dato’ Sebastian Ting reacted with dismay that patients with chronic illness would be affected by Goods and Services Tax ( GST) this coming April.

Ting said illness is not by choice and can come and strike without notice, irrespective of who we are. “These patients who want to survive have no other alternative but to seek medical assistance and take medication. It is therefore important for the Government to be sensitive and caring enough to ensure that this group of people will not suffer with extra burden of paying more,” he said.

Calling on the Government to be more sensitive, Ting said SUPP will present the case to the Government and in particular to the Ministry of Health and call on the Government to expand the list of GST waiver on medicine, particularly for the benefit of those requiring long term medication. “We must take into consideration that they are suffering and paying out extras especially for the poorer income group would be an added burden to them. For the younger ones, if they are suffering from illness, they lost their ability to earn a stable income,” he pointed out.

He said those inflicted with sickness for the younger generation would have terrible effect for them as most would have young children to take care, house loan to pay besides the other daily commitments.

In the past, we have heard there were cases of elderly who had resorted to taking their own lives due to their inability to pay for their medication when there were diagnosed with chronic diseases. He said although the number was few, it is painful to see elderly people resorting to such means. He feared that that some people would stop taking medication to avoid paying more. “It would be a painful time for them to wither away thus the Government must do all they could to prevent such a scenario,” he added.

Comparing to the GST waiver of lobster, Ting said eating lobster is a choice and the people who love eating lobster can well afford the 6% GST. It is unlikely that they will take any notice of this GST on the lobster. Yet lobster is exempted from the GST.

The people, he said, would rely on the Government to extend a helping hand and this is the time where the Government should step in to show their concern for the people.