Cost of all virus tests in Capital capped at ₹2,400

NEWDELHI: After a report by a Central government committee that recommended reducing the price of only government collected Covid-19 test samples to ₹2,400, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Thursday went a step ahead and approved lowering the rates for all Covid-19 tests, including by private firms. In effect, all Covid-19 tests, whether from a government or private centre in Delhi, will now cost ₹2,400.

The decision, which came into effect on Thursday itself, was taken in a Delhi Disaster Management Authority meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, and attended by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, revenue minister Kailash Gahlot and other top officials from the Delhi Police, administration and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Documents presented in the meeting, seen by HT, showed that the expert panel constituted by Union home minister Amit Shah on June 14 under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod K Paul did not recommend revising the prices for tests conducted solely by private labs in Delhi.

The panel only recommended reducing the rates of the samples collected by the government for private labs.

Until now, the cost of a Covid-19 test was ₹4,500 if the private labs collected the sample and used their own kits, ₹3,500 if the government collected the samples and the private labs used their kits to test it; and ₹2,200 if the government collected the sample and provided the test kit as well. While the government paid these charges to the private labs, residents across Delhi were charged a flat rate of ₹4,500.

The Central government panel’s recommendation was limited to the second category.

“After detailed discussions and taking all factors into account, it was decided to fix a rate of Rs 2,400 for each RT-PCR test applicable to specimens provided by the government (panel),” read the document that was presented in the Delhi Disaster Management Authority meeting on Thursday.

Later in the evening, Delhi’s principal health secretary issued the order revising the testing rates with immediate effect. The order stated that the rates recommended are the maximum chargeable for samples collected by any facility, whether government or private.

Members of the committee could not be reached for comment on Thursday.