Dear Editor,
The private sector in health care welcomes the recent changes in VAT and Corporation tax. This effort by the Government, to reduce the tax burden, serves to acknowledge the importance of the private sector in job creation, and in providing options to the section of its population that chooses to use the services that the private sector provides. These tax initiatives will provide a much-needed impetus to the private health care providers, to retool and provide a wider range of services to the Guyanese populace, at affordable prices.
The private health care sector should be seen as a useful adjunct to the services provided by the Ministry of Health, and not as a competitor as it has been viewed in the past. Even highly developed economies do not attempt to provide all health care services through the public sector.
We hope meaningful public-private partnerships in the health care sector, will be prioritized by this Government, and we envisage that this will be the next big step towards strengthening the health care sector in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Madhu P. Singh, M.D. (Obs &
Gynae)
C.E.O Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital
Inc.
