THE Finance Ministry has been urged to reconsider the imposition of sales and service tax (SST) on traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) even if the imposition is only applicable to medical services and not the products offered by alternative medicine providers. 

Irene Chang, Sarawak DAP director of political education, said the imposition of 8% SST in March would discourage many people from spending more on their healthcare needs. 

Chang, a former Bukit Assek assemblyman, said the Finance Ministry needed to “re-strategise this step as the government should give top priority to encourage people to spend more on their well-being and healthcare needs”. 

Traditional and complementary medicine, she added, had been recognised and certified internationally and the current global trend was the integration and combining of TCM services with western and modern medicine. 

She pointed out that in Malaysia, TCM is a legitimate practice that is recognised by the Health Ministry. 

“Indeed, more and more hospitals in Malaysia, including our Sarawak general hospital in Kuching and Hospital Likas in Sabah are offering the practice of both western and TCM medicine alongside each other in some departments in their healthcare system.” 

She added that for private TCM medical practitioners, the government had been encouraging them to register with the Traditional & Complementary Medicine Council since March 2021. 

Chang said from February 29, all of them were required to register with the council before they were allowed to carry on with their practice.  

That, she said, was “clear recognition by the Ministry of Health of the importance of traditional and complementary medicine in ensuring the best healthcare delivery to Malaysians”. 

In appealing to the Finance Ministry to work in tandem with the Health Ministry in not imposing SST on the delivery of TCM medicine, Chang also said the Finance Ministry should revisit the September 21, 2021 Customs Department guidelines to ensure that medical services and products offered by registered TCM practitioners should be parked in the excluded list of Group C of Table 1.  

“Therefore, the excluded list should include any facilities registered under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Service Act 1998, any government healthcare facilities, any facilities managed by any university established under the Universities and University College Act 1971 or Universiti Teknologi Mara Act 1976 for healthcare purpose and any facilities registered under traditional and complementary medicine,” she said. – January 4, 2024.