Sahajanand Prasad Singh, the national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), stated that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would be a significant burden on hospitals, as they were already facing numerous financial difficulties due to a sharp increase in maintenance costs resulting from the upward revision of hospital overall rents, electricity charges, and salaries of doctors and staff. Image: Unique Arrangement
“The health care industry is in a severe financial crisis due to maintenance costs that are unprecedented.” In this context, government assistance is required for the industry. We anticipate a favourable response from the government on the issue of GST exemption”
Sahajanand Prasad Singh, national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and a member of the National Medical Commission, urged the Union government to repeal the 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on hospital room services because it would ultimately place an additional burden on patients across India.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu conducted over the phone from New Delhi, he stated that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would be a heavy burden on hospitals, as they were already facing numerous financial difficulties due to a sharp increase in maintenance costs resulting from the upward revision of hospital overall rents, electricity charges, and salaries of doctors and staff.
IMA, which was founded on December 28, 1928 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), is the premier organisation for physicians. It has four million members throughout India. The association plays a crucial role in bringing medical fraternity issues to the attention of the government. IMA opposes vehemently the imposition of 5% GST on hospital room rents in excess of 5,000 per day per bed without Input Tax Credit (ITC).
Dr. SNP Singh stated that a delegation of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) would soon meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya to discuss GST exemption and other health care sector issues.
“The health care industry is in a severe financial crisis due to maintenance costs that are unprecedented.” In this context, government assistance is required for the industry. We anticipate a favourable response from the government on the issue of GST exemption, he added.
Recently, the Central Council of Indian Medicine published a notification in the Gazette regarding a proposal for mixopathy, which he stated alarmed over ten million Indian physicians. “The government’s authorization for Ayurvedic doctors to perform 58 Allopathy surgeries will result in numerous patient health complications. Dr. Singh explained that although Ayurveda and Allopathy share the same pre-clinical subjects, the clinical management of medical and surgical procedures is completely different.
Dr. Singh was alarmed by the violence against doctors and attacks on hospitals. He stated that doctors’ services should be excluded from the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) because medical negligence can be confirmed by doctors’ own experts. “The IMA’s national executive body will discuss all issues at its December 26, 27, and 28 conference in Allahabad. We will also invite Ministers to the meeting so that they can learn about the sector’s grievances. He added, “We hope that the issues will be resolved through constant persuasion with policymakers.”