Haryana reduces cost of RT-PCR testing to ₹1,200

The Haryana government on Friday brought down the cost for RT-PCR testing —the gold standard for detecting Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19— to ₹1,200 from

The Haryana government on Friday brought down the cost for RT-PCR testing —the gold standard for detecting Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19— to ₹1,200 from the existing ₹1,600.

HT Image

This is the second time the Haryana government has reduced the price for testing through the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at private labs. On August 29, the state government had reduced the cost of RT-PCR testing from ₹2,400 to ₹1,600.

The department of health and family welfare on Friday issued a revised order stating that the overall charge for taking an RT-PCR has been reduced taking into account the cost of kits and consumables, and the consent of the leading private laboratories, . “No private laboratory should charge any amount more than ₹1,200 for RT-PCR. It includes the cost of sample pick up, packing, transportation of samples, documentation and reporting,” the order read.

“We are continuously observing the cost of inputs for testing and keep aligning our rates. Haryana was the first state to cap the RT-PCR test price to ₹2,400 (in June) and then reduce it to ₹1,600 and now to ₹1,600. This is the lowest charge in the region,” said Rajeev Arora, additional chief secretary, health department.

The costs of antigen and antibody testing at private labs continue to remain the same. Rapid antigen test costs ₹650, while antibody test ₹250 in Haryana.

Rishabh Rajput, director of Covid-19 and microbiology division, Modern Diagnostics, an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) certified lab for Covid-19 testing in Gurugram, said, “The reduced RT-PCR testing price can compromise the quality assurance of the tests in smaller labs. Laboratories were earning a margin of 15-20 percent by administering RT-PCR at the previous cost of ₹1,600. This margin will further reduce especially when labs are sending their technicians to collect samples from homes. The new price slab will not impact big labs though.”

On Friday, at least 2,161 RT-PCR tests were administered in Gurugram, while 901 tests were conducted through rapid antigen kits. Till now nearly 265, 937 samples have been tested in Gurugram, of which more than one lakh tested have been through antigen detection kits, as her data by the district health department.

As reported by HT on September 24, the daily collection of RT-PCR samples in the city has plunged to nearly 1,000, sometimes even fewer, in government facilities. Data shows that with walk-in testing allowed from September 8, both government and private labs have had, however, witnessed an upward trajectory in testing number. The district health department had administered 1,900 RT-PCR tests – the highest tests in a single day, on September 14.

“The health department has been collecting around 1,000 samples daily on an average for RT-PCR testing. In private labs too, the footfall is high. Bringing down the testing cost would mean increased footfall in private labs, especially when getting a test without a doctor’s prescription now allowed,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer.