By Ajuma Ogiri
Abuja
The Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), has criticised multiple taxation and levies on private medical establishments, saying it is hampering the delivery of health care by private sector.
The association said government authorities were “indiscriminate” in leveling taxes and levies, and treating hospitals same as hotels in efforts to boost internally generated revenues.
The President of AGPMPN, Dr Frank Odafen, who disclosed this to newsmen at a press conference on the sidelines of the association’s national executive council meeting in keffi, said “The scourge of multiple taxation, levies and unwholesome drive for revenue is seriously impeding the level to which we can practise, and making it difficult for patients to pay medical bills.”
The association said its members running private practice have typically had to pay regular taxes, are tagged as commercial for owning ambulances, pay registration and for inscribing hospital name on ambulances, pay tenement rate, are charged for refuse disposal, premises, refuse and sewage.
According to Dr. Odafen, In addition to levies for renewing their licences, private hospitals also pay for not putting emblems of building walls, as well as for effluent from theatres, pollution from power generators and radiation for using xray machines.
He said: “We are hamstrung by uncomfortable environment, hence our plea for government to relax the strings to enable us deploy all our skills.”
He said with considerable help from government, including funding for upgrade and training of health workers, both in public and private practice, the association could reverse the trend of medical tourism.
“Our focus is to reverse all this. But we can’t do it alone, neither can the government do it alone,” he added.
