CORONA TEST CHARGES TO COME DOWN? ICMR REMOVES RS.4,500/- CAP FOR TESTING IN PRIVATE LABS!

The  Indian Council of Medical Research has removed the price cap of Rs 4,500 for the RT-PCR test used to detect COVID-19,  asking States and UTs to negotiate with private labs to fix "mutually agreeable" rates for the test.

In a letter to the state chief secretaries on Monday, ICMR Director General (D-G) Dr Balram Bhargava said, "In this backdrop and keeping in view the evolving prices of testing commodities, the earlier suggested upper ceiling of Rs 45,00 dated March 17, may not be applicable now."

"Therefore, all state governments/UT administrations are advised to negotiate with private labs and fix up mutually agreeable prices for samples being sent by the government and also for private individuals desirous of testing by these labs," Bhargava said in the letter.

He said at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, India was reliant on imported products for molecular detection of viruses. "Keeping in view the cost of imported kits and efforts involved in carrying out the test, the ICMR suggested the upper limit of a single test at Rs 4500," the letter said.

There are 428 government and 182 private labs for COVID-19 testing across all states and UTs in the country.

"Now testing supplies are also stabilising and many of you have started procuring such kits from the local market. Due to varied options of testing materials/kits, including indigenous ones, the prices are becoming competitive and undergoing reduction," Bhargava said.