Hyderabad, January 28, 2025: The All-India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS), the largest professional organization of ophthalmologists in the World just petitioned the Honourable Finance Minister to Exempt Customs Duty and GST on Sight-Saving Ophthalmic Equipment in the Budget 2025-26.
Dr. Samar K Basak, President;Dr. Santosh G Honavar, Honorary Secretary; Dr Manoj C Mathur, Treasurer petitioned to the Honourable Union Finance Minister Ms Nirmala Seetharaman and a copy of the same was shared to Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Honourable Prime Minister of India; Shri JP Nadda Ji, Honourable Minister of Health and Family Welfare; Shri Pankaj Chaudhary Ji, Honorable MOS, Finance; Shri PK Mishra Ji, Principal Secretary to PM and Shri M Nagaraju Ji, Finance Secretary, GOI
We have petitioned on behalf of AIOS Office-bearers Dr Partha Biswas, President-Elect; Prof. Jeevan S Titiyal, Vice President; Dr. Harbansh Lal, Immediate Past President; Prof. Namrata Sharma, Chair, Scientific Committee; Dr. Prashant K Bawankule, Chair, Academic and Research Committee; Prof. M Vanathi, Editor, Indian Journal of Ophthalmology; Dr Krishna Prasad Kudlu, Editor, Proceedings; Dr. CV Gopala Raju, Joint Secretary; Dr. P Elankumaran, Joint Treasurer said Hyderabad based Dr Santosh G Honavar, Honorary Secretary, in a press note issued in the city today.
We appeal to the Honourable Finance Minister to exempt sight-saving ophthalmic equipment conforming to the HS Code 901850 from customs duty and GST said the Petition.
The members of AIOS spearhead and work extensively towards achieving the goals of the Government of India, the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in alleviating blindness and visual impairment. Typically, Indian Ophthalmologists directly touch and positively impact the lives of about 5 lakh patients every day.
India has one of the highest numbers of the visually impaired and blind globally. Currently, there are an estimated 5 million blind and 70 million visually impaired in India, out of which about a quarter of a million are blind children – it implies that one in every 50 Indians suffers from blindness or visual impairment. The sheer scale of this malady necessitates immediate and substantive intervention to mitigate the widespread impact on individuals and society.
While cataracts and related pathologies remain the major cause of blindness in adults, corneal opacity, glaucoma and retinal diseases contribute to about 20%. Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of visual impairment.
WHO has estimated that over 80% of blindness and visual impairment can be alleviated by appropriate intervention.
Historic measures to alleviate blindness and visual impairment in India, its impact, and the role of Indian ophthalmologists:
India was the first country in the world to launch the National Programme for Control of Blindness in 1976. The WHO and IAPB propelled the Vision 2020 – Right to Sight initiative in 1999 to eliminate avoidable blindness. India was one of 183 countries that signed the global initiative in 2004 and is committed to reducing the burden of preventable blindness by the year 2030.
Indian ophthalmologists have worked with the Government of India to alleviate the burden of preventable blindness and visual impairment. Thus, they have helped reduce the prevalence of blindness from 1% in 1996 to 0.36% now and visual impairment by 50% in a decade between 2010 and 2020.
Indian ophthalmologists perform over 9 million cataract surgeries a year currently, of which about 60-70% are free of charge to the patient, the petition added
Further, the economic burden of blindness and visual impairment in India is profound. Direct costs include medical expenses for treatment, surgeries, and ongoing care. Indirect costs are even more substantial, encompassing lost productivity, reduced quality of life, and the need for caregivers. Visual impairment significantly affects individuals’ ability to work, resulting in decreased income and increased dependency.
The overall economic loss due to blindness in India is estimated at INR 845 billion annually. Additionally, the potential annual productivity loss due to vision impairment is INR 646 billion, encompassing lost earnings, reduced productivity, and increased healthcare costs.
The total annual economic impact of blindness and visual impairment in India is INR 1500 billion (INR 1,50,000 Crores).
The cumulative loss of Gross National Income (GNI) from avoidable blindness stands at INR 11,778.6 billion.
Incentives to support the national mission to alleviate blindness and visual impairment:
Recognizing the need to tackle the causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, the Government of India vide notification 69/93- CE fully exempted 58 specified sight-saving equipment (HS Code 901850) from Customs Duty. This specific reform helped usher in a revolution in the quality and reach of eye care in India.
However, over the years, the basic Customs Duty has been re-imposed to the extent of 7.5% to 10% + IGST of 12% + cess, thus immensely impacting the CapEx and OpEx of eye hospitals and consequently the cost of care. This has also severely dis-incentivised and made it economically challenging to provide subsidized/free eye care.
Because the economic impact of blindness and visual impairment is INR 1500 billion (INR 1,50,000 Crores) a year, and 80% of blindness and visual impairment can be alleviated (thus resulting in a potential gain of INR 1,20,000 to GNI annually) it seems prudent to reinstate exemption of customs duty and GST for ophthalmic sight saving equipment – HS 901850.
Exempting customs duty on sight-saving equipment will make these essential requirements for eye care more affordable and accessible to millions of Indians in need. This policy change can significantly reduce the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment, enhance the quality of life for affected individuals, and mitigate the economic burden on society.
We earnestly appeal to your esteemed office to consider this request favourably and take decisive action to promote eye health in India, the AIOS office bearers emphasised in the petition
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