PESHAWAR, May 2: Despite the government’s directives to exempt life-saving drugs from the recently-imposed General Sale Tax, the prices of many drugs have been raised by the manufacturers, doctors and chemists told Dawn.
“There is a big confusion over the levy of 15 per cent GST on the drugs, because the government has exempted some 256 life-saving drugs from the tax while fact is otherwise,” said a doctor.
According to him the government has exempted the drugs used by diabetic and hypertensive patients but the manufacturers of these particular drugs have enhanced its prices by 15 per cent.
For instance the price of a costly drug Amaryl has been shot up by 15 per cent which is used by diabetic patients regularly. Another drug Injection Humuline has been raised by 15 per cent which is also used by diabetics while the rate of another drug Injection Insulin used by the same group of patients has not been raised.
Similarly, the prices of number of drugs consumed by hypertensive patients have been raised which comes in the life-saving drugs.
There is confusion over the new levy as far as the prices of life-saving drugs are concerned. Another case in point is the raise in the price of Injection Dextrose Water/Saline (commonly known as drip).
The doctors say that the officials at the ministry of health didn’t identify the life-saving correctly which paved the way for the manufacturers to raise the prices of their products. A large number of these drugs have not been mentioned in the list of drugs prepared by the government for exemption.
An injection Streptokinase administered to the patients suffering from severe Mycardial Infraction (heart attack) has also registered 15 per cent increase in its price.
The injection was previously sold at Rs 5,765 was now available at Rs 6,665. Cardiologists at a city hospital said that they provided the costly injection patients upon their shifting to the CCU who later bought from the bazaar to replace it.
He said the injection was so expensive that it was difficult for the resource-starved public sector hospitals to provide it to the patients free of cost while the patients needed it as soon as possible to save their lives.
Another drug Myrin-P used by TB patients has also not been exempted from tax.
“Dextrose water or saline are transfused to the seriously ill patients who are unable to take the drugs prescribed to them by the doctors orally and therefore are administered drips to save their lives,” said a doctor at a local hospital.
According to him, every drug was a life-saving drug. Similarly, he said that the patients needed a pill of Paracetamol or Disprine to get relieved from headache or pain or fever. He also criticized the government’s decision to declare certain medicines as life-saving drugs.
There are also other anomalies which needs to be redressed. For instance, a blood pressure drug Norvesic 10 mg has got exemption while for the 5mg, the patient have to pay the GST.
Similarly, all ranges of an antibiotic medicine Augmentin had been exempted from the levy except for syrup which is given to the children. Another antibiotic Amoxil has also been exempted while the injection of 250mg has been included in the tax net.
The tablet of Erybron has been brought into GST while another drug containing similar ingredients, Erythrocin has been exempted.