KARACHI, Oct 1: The National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) has expressed its concern over 41 per cent import duty and other taxes imposed by the government on medical reagents used in laboratories for diagnosis of various diseases.

In a statement issued here, the NFEH office-bearers said that the government had imposed 20 per cent import duty, 15 per cent sales tax and 6 per cent income tax on medical reagents used in diagnostics which had resulted in higher costs of these equipment and ultimately costly diagnostic services for the masses.

They said that these reagents were not manufactured locally and were frequently used by diabetic patients. Previously, blood glucose tests strips were registered by the Ministry of Health as medicine. Now inferior quality test strips are being imported through different sources which gave false results and are very dangerous for diabetic patients, they maintained.

They said that due to higher import duty, all such equipment was being under-invoiced or smuggled. They urged the government to withdraw all type of duties and taxes from medical equipment and if it was not possible than only 5 per cent tax should be imposed for the larger benefits of poor patients.—PPI