New GST to cause 20% of patients in Malaysia to shift to public hospitals
31-Mar-15, Malay Mail Online
One out of five patients in private hospitals is expected to move to the already overburdened public healthcare system after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is implemented tomorrow, doctors said.
%20Saw%20Siow%20Feng_Malay%20Mail%20Online.jpg "New GST to cause 20pc of patients in Malaysia to shift to public hospitals (c) Saw Siow Feng Malay Mail Online")
Image: Saw Siow Feng / Malay Mail Online
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr H. Krishna Kumar stressed, however, that the 10 to 20 per cent shift caused by the GST, set at a flat rate of six per cent, will be a temporary one lasting three to four months pending medical insurance top-ups.
“Every time there’s an economic slowdown, we get a shift like this,” Dr Krishna told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview.