Medical professionals are renewing their calls for Government to remove duties and taxes from medical equipment and supplies.
The blame is being placed on the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) which the medical professionals said has drastically pushed up the cost on these items, resulting in Barbadians having to pay more for health.
The NSRL which moved from two per cent to ten per cent last July, has led to a substantial increase in supplies such as needles, syringes, gauze, cotton balls which doctors utilise daily, while the price of equipment such as X-ray and blood pressure machines have also increased.
A number of doctors have reported that from this year they will pass some of the costs to their patients. At the same time they fear that this could further compromise health care, since more Barbadians would opt to attend the polyclinics, placing additional pressure on the already hard-pressed public health care system. (MB)
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