The former prime minister wonders how the government can continue dispensing free drugs with costs going up.
FMT
SERDANG: It’s a near miracle that the government is able to continue giving free medication at public hospitals considering the escalating costs, according to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
“When I was prime minister, we were worried about how to finance the free medicine that we were giving to Malaysians,” he told reporters here.
“During the British time, when I was still practising, it was one cent per bottle of cough mixture. So the government wasn’t spending too much money.
“But the costs of medicines have gone up. How the government can still sustain this free medical treatment is something that is almost a miracle.”
He was speaking at a press conference after witnessing the signing of an agreement between Perdana University and University of California San Diego for a medical and research programme.
He noted that not all medicines will be exempted from the GST, which will be introduced next month. Only drugs that come under the National Essential Drug List will be zero-rated, but Mahathir said some essential medicines had been excluded from the list.
He said the public should let the government know if they feel burdened by the GST.
“It is for the people to respond,” he said. “If this is a burden to them, they can tell the government, ‘If you charge taxes, we will not vote for you anymore.’”
Mahathir surprised journalists for refusing to give any comment on 1MDB, of which he has been outstandingly critical.
He was asked to comment on the Cabinet’s announcement that the Auditor-General has been directed to investigate 1MDB’s controversial finances, but he said he would not answer questions about the company or about politics.
He maintained his silence on the two subjects despite persistent questioning, saying he would limit his answers to questions about the healthcare system and Perdana University, of which he is chancellor.
FMT
SERDANG: It’s a near miracle that the government is able to continue giving free medication at public hospitals considering the escalating costs, according to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
“When I was prime minister, we were worried about how to finance the free medicine that we were giving to Malaysians,” he told reporters here.
“During the British time, when I was still practising, it was one cent per bottle of cough mixture. So the government wasn’t spending too much money.
“But the costs of medicines have gone up. How the government can still sustain this free medical treatment is something that is almost a miracle.”
He was speaking at a press conference after witnessing the signing of an agreement between Perdana University and University of California San Diego for a medical and research programme.
He noted that not all medicines will be exempted from the GST, which will be introduced next month. Only drugs that come under the National Essential Drug List will be zero-rated, but Mahathir said some essential medicines had been excluded from the list.
He said the public should let the government know if they feel burdened by the GST.
“It is for the people to respond,” he said. “If this is a burden to them, they can tell the government, ‘If you charge taxes, we will not vote for you anymore.’”
Mahathir surprised journalists for refusing to give any comment on 1MDB, of which he has been outstandingly critical.
He was asked to comment on the Cabinet’s announcement that the Auditor-General has been directed to investigate 1MDB’s controversial finances, but he said he would not answer questions about the company or about politics.
He maintained his silence on the two subjects despite persistent questioning, saying he would limit his answers to questions about the healthcare system and Perdana University, of which he is chancellor.
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