COVID-19 testing price in Maharashtra reduced from Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,200

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had earlier removed the cap of Rs. 4,500 for conducting coronavirus tests and had asked the states to “fix up mutually agreeable prices”. This had to be done after discussing with laboratories that are conducting the tests coronavirus. In line with this Maharashtra has now decided to slash the prices for coronavirus tests in the state. As per the new norms, RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 are now capped at Rs 2,200 while that of the test by collecting samples from home have a sealing price of Rs 2800.

Prior to this, Mumbai so far has three rate cards. The tests were being done free of charge at public laboratories, Rs. 4500 at private laboratories and Rs. 3,500 that the BMC pays the private facilities when it asks them to collect samples of high-risk contacts in-home quarantine.

Maharashtra is not the only state to cut down prices, Tamil Nadu too had announced a maximum of Rs 3,000 for the RT-PCR tests by private Labourites and an addition Rs 500 if the sample has to be collected from home.

A couple of days back, Thyrocare in a letter to the BMC, had said that it will be charging Rs 2,000 for COVID-19 testing. It is noteworthy, that Thyrocare, had recently faced corrective action over irregularities in test results.

Amidst the coronavirus outbreak in Mumbai, the BMC had earlier authorized revised guidelines for the testing of coronavirus in the city, keeping in mind the increasing number of cases of COVID-19. The order stated that the civic body would increase the testing of symptomatic cases to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. It specified that a prescription of a registered medical practitioner is necessary for the testing of COVID-19. Moreover, the testing of mild, very mild, pre-symptomatic positive patients shall not be required before discharge if no symptoms are seen on the 7th, 8th, and 9th days consecutively. While moderate symptomatic patients need not be tested before discharge if they have recovered clinically, testing is required once in the case of discharge when it comes to critical patients to ensure safety.

The testing categories for the citizens include all symptomatic patients within 14 days of international travel, individuals who have contacted confirmed cases of coronavirus, symptomatic healthcare workers, hospitalized patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, pregnant women residing in the containment areas, evacuees from hotspot districts in labour or likely to deliver in the next 5 days (even if asymptomatic) shall be tested.