MPA, PPPA urge govt to exempt SST charges borne by physiotherapy patients

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Physiotherapy Association (MPA) along with Private Practitioners Physiotherapy Association (PPPA) have urged the government to exempt the sales and service tax (SST) charge borne by patients who undergo physiotherapy at all private clinics in the country.

MPA secretary Joachim Fernandez said the SST charge on physiotherapy services offered at private clinics will pose unnecessary excess financial burden on patients who are merely seeking healthcare treatment.

“This additional tax could worsen the already heavy costs of living faced by many nowadays, subsequently preventing patients, especially those from rural areas, from gaining access to crucial and quality physiotherapy treatment at their nearest clinics,” he said at a special press conference here yesterday.

In addition, he said a joint letter of appeal by both parties to exempt the SST charge on all forms of physiotherapy treatments was submitted to the Ministry of Finance last week but no response has been received to date. Meanwhile, PPPA president Ben Loo said physiotherapy is a lifelong process for certain individuals and as such, the SST charge could prevent patients from obtaining the best results out of a treatment.

“The SST charge might seem small if a physiotherapy treatment is only performed a few times, but for those with cerebral palsy, their physiotherapy is for a lifetime.

“Not including the physiotherapy cost itself, the patient or the patient’s family could be paying hundreds or thousands alone for SST, which will undeniably affect their financial abilities in the long run,” he said.