India cut taxes on medical devices like oxygen concentrators and drugs used to treat COVID-19 infections on Saturday after widespread criticism of healthcare costs during a devastating second wave of the virus in April and May.
Ventilators, the antiviral drug Remdesivir, diagnostic kits, pulse oximeters and hand sanitizer with immediate effect increased 5% from 12 to 18%.
The new levies in India will apply through the end of September, Treasury Secretary Nirmala Sitharaman said, adding that she would tax electric ovens in Include crematoriums and ambulances.
“The rate cut was not made with the cost implications (on public finances) in mind, it was done to relax people … a press conference. However, the government will continue to tax vaccines at 5%, he added.
India’s Health ministry data showed a high of 400,000 a day in May and reported 84,332 new infections on Saturday, the lowest level in more than two months. There were 4,002 dead.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the South Asian country is 29.4 million with 367,081 deaths.
During the second wave of the virus, many people in the still-low-income country turned to expensive private treatment, while others paid twenty times the usual black market price for oxygen cylinders and huge sums to ensure ambulances and cars.
Experts said millions of people continue to be prone to new outbreaks of infection, especially in the countryside, where two-thirds of the population live.
The government would allow private hospitals to have 25% of all vaccine shipments, but they won’t charge more than 150 rupees ($ 2.06) towards the cost of the dose, he said.
