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Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Private hospitals call for delay to 6% SST for non-Malaysians
Several associations raised concerns about the potential impact on service accessibility, pricing transparency, and operational preparedness, especially for sectors like healthcare. (Gambar Envato Elements) PETALING JAYA : Private hospitals are urging the finance ministry to postpone the implementation of the 6% sales and service tax (SST) on private healthcare services for non-Malaysians, set to take effect on July 1. In a statement, the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) raised concerns over the implementation time frame, saying 'private hospitals will need sufficient lead time to adjust administrative systems, billing processes, and compliance procedures'. APHM also said it had sent a written request to the finance ministry today for a 'more practical timeline'. 'This is to allow for a smoother transition, minimise disruption to patient services, and help ensure full compliance with the new requirements.' APHM also said it had sought further clarification on the policy's application, including its impact on professional fees, its treatment of foreigners residing in Malaysia, and other related implementation matters. The finance ministry announced two days ago that the service tax would be expanded to include rent, lease, construction, financial services, private healthcare, and education, with hopes that it would help generate RM51.7 billion in SST revenue next year. Under this policy, private hospitals will charge a 6% SST on healthcare services provided to foreign nationals. Since the announcement, several associations have raised concerns about the potential impact on service accessibility, pricing transparency, and operational preparedness, especially for sectors like healthcare and education which serve many non-Malaysians including foreign workers, expatriates, and international students.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Hospitals to be made to offer women epidurals to boost birth rates
China has mandated that all tertiary hospitals, those with over 500 beds, must offer epidural anaesthesia during childbirth by the end of this year. This initiative aims to foster a more "friendly childbearing environment" for women, according to the country's National Health Commission (NHC). The NHC's statement last week outlined further plans to extend these services to secondary hospitals, which have more than 100 beds, by 2027. The move comes as authorities grapple with declining birth rates in the world's second-largest economy. In 2024, China's population fell for the third consecutive year, prompting experts to warn of a worsening demographic downturn in the coming years. Currently, around 30% of pregnant women in China receive anaesthesia for pain relief during childbirth. This is in stark contrast to some developed countries, where the rate exceeds 70%, according to the China Daily. The World Health Organization recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women requesting pain relief and it is widely utilised in many countries around the world, including France, where around 82% of pregnant women opt to have one, and in the United States and Canada where more than 67% do. The move will "improve the comfort level and security of medical services" and "further enhance people's sense of happiness and promote a friendly childbearing environment," the NHC said. A growing number of provinces across China are also beginning to include childbirth anaesthesia costs as part of their medical insurance schemes to encourage more women to have children. High childcare costs as well as job uncertainty and a slowing economy have discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family. In June, health authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province proposed to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a "fertility-friendly society."
Wall Street Journal
12-05-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Time to Reform the Medicaid Funding Racket
Your editorial 'The Moral Case for Reforming Medicaid' (April 15) is exactly right in arguing that work requirements should be a prerequisite to receive aid for those who are neither elderly nor disabled. Why? Because such provisions have proven successful in other welfare programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and food stamps. Yet the case for reforming Medicaid on moral grounds is even more important than you suggest, because the current system is rife with inequities that undermine its original intent as a safety net for the truly needy. As you note, voters support work requirements. But I suspect few realize that the federal government provides states with more generous reimbursements for able-bodied, childless adults than it does for people with disabilities. This perverse incentive structure encourages states to prioritize coverage for healthy adults without dependents—many of whom could reasonably be working—while deprioritizing vulnerable populations, including disabled people urgently in need of essential services like home healthcare.
