VAT INCREASE AND THE PLIGHT OF PATIENTS ,,,,,,,,,,,
Posted on May 3rd, 2016
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
Today my wife who works in a private hospital came home disgruntled and disappointed ,reason being the barrage of abuse from patients who have bitterly complained about rising of the charge to OPD treatment from 350 rs to a whapping increase of 75 Rupees !
Cost of all tests such as X ray ,blood has the same fate and I am sure the whole country is cursing some one
Isn’t there any other way of scraping the kitties of richer people or politicians rather than these poor patients who prefer to come to a private hospital rather than waiting in queues in government hospitals ???
Can the hospital owners reduce their profits and absorb the added VAT and provides release to the masses ?
I feel so angry and helpless that we cannot do much to convince the law makers to do something else to generate income to cover debt burden ?
VAT is the most hated word today among the people and the next phrase of words preceding being This lot has bungled up and we are doomed !
May 3rd, 2016 at 11:32 pm
UNP follows a “tax the poor, wax the rich” policy. VAT was supposed to be charged to private education but after the rich list protested to the UNP in private, VAT increase has been scrapped. It is inhuman to charge so much taxes on healthcare. As a result some may avoid taking treatment which will cost the economy. Others will burden public hospitals increasing their expenses. As prices are raised, private hospitals will see a reduction in numbers and their revenue too. To compensate they will raise prices further.
VAT itself is a UNP gimmick. In 1998 it was called GST. UNP promised to abolish it. Although it as abolished, it reappeared as VAT.
This is similar to the UNP raising tax on the poor in 2004 while giving the rich a tax amnesty. The supreme court invalidated it. The government became so unpopular it soon lost power.
May 4th, 2016 at 3:51 am
The problem with our country is when UNP is in power then likes of you blame the UNP for all the ills and the UNP people who is now in power blame the previous government. But I blame all the politicians in power since the independence. They all abused their power, robbed the country mercilessly in the process they abused the main religion to divide and rule.
Two years ago I tirelessly worked hard for the party during the local government elections but when I questioned the extravagance and abuse of the local politicians in power some one came behind me and hit me on the head with a spanner almost killing me.
I was taken to the Kandy hospital and without knowing me treated me properly when I was admitted to the emergency ward(No9),I was treaded like a leper where no bed was given though there were 4 empty beds in the ward.
The orderlies or male nurses were very abusive, made me sit on the bench and when I tried to sleep they rudely woke me up, didn’t allow my staff to bring any sheets to cover myself.
After three hours in that ward the young doctor realizing that there is something wrong had the courage to get the bench close to him and kept an eye on me, never left his sight of me.
I think he went off duty the next morning but kept watching me and visiting me in his casuals to see if I am OK.Later I discovered that he is a close relative of the then government party activist who worked together with us in London. We were all glad when the night ended and with the greatest difficulty I discharged myself and sought treatment in Colombo.
Following year I visited my sister who was hospitalized in the ICU of ward 12 where we had to remove our shoes and walk on the dirty floor while some others who had the connections were allowed to wear shoes and that was disgusting. I was so insulted I challenged the people there as to why a whole family of the muslim background and along with many others were allowed to wear shoes in the ward and they replied saying that family was allowed because the husband was the screratary to the Governor Kobbekaduwa.This time I am going to meet Tikiri and ask why there is a divide and rule policy but he so despise the British.
With respect to medicines and treatments, I personally had to pay the bills of many people who had have dialysis treatment as there’s a problems with kidney disease as they eat and drink contaminated food. After lobbying hard that service is now free.
Yet the medicines are beyond the reach of people as the government hospitals can’t afford this and the people have to buy. Yet some of the medicines sold in the open market is substandard imported fro India.
Due to these short comings the doctors mint money giving tablet after tablet where the body loses it’s tolerance.
I was shocked to see my sister taking pills from three different doctors for some bladder infection or blood in urine and after I throwing the pills out and giving her a dose of Cranbury tea, our own plain tea and lots of Kurruba water she recovered and looked cheerful and even young. The sister I met at the airport on my arrival was different to the one who said good bye, when I left SL.
I hear she is eating plenty of rice where her sugar level had gone up and when I go there next will take some cinnamon powder and smash the rice pots.