RT-PCR test gets cheaper in Delhi: ₹300 at labs, ₹500 at home

The cost of the gold-standard RT-PCR test has been reduced by ₹200 for home collection as well as for samples collected at private hospitals and labs.

The Delhi government on Thursday slashed prices of Covid-19 tests in the city, and ordered hospitals and labs to process all samples within 12 hours of receiving them.

Now an RT-PCR test, if performed at labs and hospitals, will cost ₹300 instead of ₹500. (Unsplash)

The cost of the gold-standard RT-PCR test has been reduced by ₹200 for home collection as well as for samples collected at private hospitals and labs.

The same price cut was extended for rapid antigen tests in the city.

Now an RT-PCR test, if performed at labs and hospitals, will cost ₹300 instead of ₹500.

For samples collected from home, the cost has been reduced to ₹500 (including collection and other charges) from ₹700, the order issued by the state health department on Thursday said. Prior to this, the government had revised the cost of Covid-19 test in August last year.

Easier on the pocket

“All labs/ hospitals will display the revised rates at prominent places latest within 24 hours of this order. This order comes into effect immediately and is for strict compliance by all concerned,” read the order signed by Manisha Saxena, Delhi’s principal secretary (health).

The government will pay private labs ₹200 for each sample collected by and transported to the lab by the government, and ₹300 for samples collected by the government but transported by the lab.

Senior health officials said Delhi’s testing capacity has been increased from 100,000 a day to 300,000 with several new private labs opening up in the city and the government labs increasing their capacities.

“Private sector labs shall mandatorily collect the samples from the testing sites as requisitioned by Govt. team (District CDMO Office or Hospital). Further, all labs will ensure that samples are processed latest within 12 hours of being received in the lab with all positive results being updated on ICMR portal mandatorily within 30 minutes of samples being processed followed by updation of all negative results latest within 24 hours from the receipt of samples in the lab,” the order further stated.