Waiving duties and taxes on new medical equipment would discourage use of secondhand medical equipment.
KARACHI: This is with reference to a news report in which it is written that senior health professionals have urged the government to exempt from duty and taxes the medicines and equipment used in the treatment of diabetes. I endorse the views of the respected doctors on this because this will make life easier for those suffering from diabetes.
Similarly, the government should also ban the import of secondhand and refurbished medical equipment because the old medical machinery cannot provide the same accurate results that new systems can. Hence, having old machines may actually end up endangering lives of patients. Many well-known and reputed hospitals in Pakistan use secondhand medical equipment and charge high rates from their patients. One of the major reasons of popularity of secondhand equipment is high duty and taxes on the import of new medical equipment and hence, waiving the latter would be a good step towards improving medical care for patients.
Muhammad Asif
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2012.
