The cost of heart and kidney disease treatment is set to fall following the withdrawal of VAT and taxes on heart rings, dialysis filters and other life-saving medical equipment in the proposed national budget for FY2026–27.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury made the announcement in his budget speech in Parliament on Thursday. He said the measures aim to ease the financial burden on patients requiring critical care.
Under the proposal, the existing 10 percent VAT at supplier level on heart rings (stents) has been withdrawn. As a result, the price of each heart ring is expected to fall by up to Tk20,000, easing treatment costs for cardiac patients.
For kidney patients, the 15 per cent VAT and 5 per cent advance tax (AT) on imported dialysis filters have also been withdrawn. This is expected to reduce the cost of dialysis filters and bring down the overall expense of regular dialysis treatment.
Officials said the cost of a single dialysis session may drop by around Tk800 per patient due to the tax relief.
In addition, the existing 7.5 per cent advance tax on imported hemodialysis blood tubing sets used in kidney treatment has also been removed.
Officials said the combined measures will reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending and provide relief to patients suffering from cardiovascular and kidney diseases.
The finance minister placed a Tk9.38 lakh crore national budget for FY2026–27 in Parliament on Thursday, describing it as one of the largest in the country’s history.
The budget allocates Tk69,409 crore to the health sector. This is nearly double the revised allocation of the previous year and reflects increased emphasis on healthcare development and human resource capacity building.
