Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan said Sepanggar MP Jumat Idris should have chosen the services of public hospitals  which do not collect GST.

"We have a choice; if we can afford it then go seek treatment at private hospitals but if you cannot afford it, there is always the government hospital.

"Who asked him to go to the private hospital. The choice is in our hands," Ahmad Maslan told reporters in Bukit Mertajam today, according to The Rakyat Post .

Ahmad said public hospital provided similar level of services, thus those who opt for private hospitals should be prepared to bear the costs involved.

"Private hospitals in the past also charged a 6 percent sales and services tax (SST)," he said.

On April 18, Jumat complained on his Facebook page that the GST was a huge burden on the public, citing his own experience of paying an additional RM1,200 in taxes to treat his son.

His son has been diagnosed with a nerve disease and has a crooked spine.