Call for more health funding, tourism incentives in Sarawak

KUCHING: Sarawak’s tourism players are hoping for incentives in Budget 2023 to assist them in their operations as the industry continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) president Audry Wan Ullok said tourism agencies needed assistance to acquire transport vehicles, among others.

“Those who are paying for their vehicles should be given relaxation on their monthly payments for at least six months as they recover,” she said.

She also called for tax incentives for the tourism sector, including a waiver on the sales and service tax for hotels, for the next six months.

“We hope to see tax breaks for accommodation providers, including budget hotels and homestays, to upgrade and improve the maintenance of their premises,” she said.

“We also wish for discounts of at least 15% on energy bills.”

In addition, Audry said funds were needed for capacity building to tackle the critical shortage of manpower, especially for tour guides, in the sector, adding that infrastructure upgrade is also needed for attractions in remote areas.

Meanwhile, Society for Cancer Advocacy and Awareness Kuching (SCAN) president Chris Cheng hoped to see allocations for a proposed cancer hospital in Sarawak.

“This must not only be for the physical building but also for proper equipment and maintenance,” he said.

He also called on the Federal Government to train more oncologists, especially those from Sarawak, to serve in the state.

“Currently, there are only seven oncologists under the Health Ministry in Sarawak for a population of 2.56 million.

“This is far from the recommended number of one oncologist per 100,000 population,” he noted.

In addition, Cheng urged the government to find ways to deliver newer cancer drugs to patients such as by setting up a cancer fund or special national cancer insurance.

He said this was important as B40 and M40 patients could not afford costly advanced targeted therapy drugs which were not yet covered by the government.

He also called for more funding for research, including clinical trials and drug development, which would help get the necessary treatments for cancer patients in the state.