President of the IMA National sets out the Healthcare GST
Nagpur: On Sunday, Dr. RV Asokan, the current national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), visited Nagpur to officially inaugurate the new team headed by Dr. Manjusha Giri at the IMA Nagpur chapter.
In an open conversation with TOI, Dr. Asokan discussed the urgent problems besetting the Indian medical industry and urged the government to take prompt action.
IMA National President Flays Healthcare Tax
Concern increased in his voice as he discussed the GST on healthcare services.
“Healthcare GST is basically a tax on sickness,” he said.
Consider charging individuals for becoming ill! It is the worst kind of exploitation. “This misery tax on patient beds needs to be removed right away,” he said.
Dr. Asokan spoke into detail on the present GST system, pointing out the outrageous prices charged for health insurance, basic medical supplies, and even life-saving equipment. He bemoaned, “This burden falls squarely on the shoulders of the patients,” and demanded a large cut in the GST load on healthcare, pointing out that the ill bear the brunt of their suffering.
Dr. Asokan expressed concerns over the newly imposed GST on groups such as the IMA, in addition to the financial strain. This directly targets the rights of free speech and assembly. Associations are essential for supporting improved healthcare and standing up for physicians. He demanded that the GST be completely removed from membership fees and services provided by organizations such as the IMA, arguing that “taxing them stifles their voice.”
Dr. Asokan spoke about the important topic of violence against medical professionals. Physicians are still targeted for violence, in spite of 23 state-level regulations. There’s been no comfort in these laws. Robust, centralized legislation with teeth is what we need. He reiterated the IMA’s long-standing call for strong central legislation that covers all types of violence against medical personnel and healthcare facilities, saying, “The laws as they stand now are out of date.”
Additionally, Dr. Asokan called for the designation of medical institutions and hospitals as “safe zones.”
Dr. Asokan also expressed grave worry about the expanding practice of mixopathy, or the blending of several medicinal systems. Every system has advantages and disadvantages. Patient safety is at risk from mixopathy. It may be devastating; it’s kind of like the cafeteria approach to healthcare,” he said.
He promoted the idea of an educated patient, one who has access to a range of healthcare systems but finally chooses the one that best meets their requirements after receiving clear and understandable information. In closing, he reiterated the IMA’s unwavering position that efforts to combine various medical systems must end.
