ICMR suggest lowering prices of Covid-19 tests in private sector

NEW DELHI: The Indian council of medical research (ICMR) suggested lowering of prices for Covid-19 testing in the private sector while removing the price cap of Rs 4,500 for the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
The council has instead asked states to negotiate with laboratories and fix price of test accordingly, empowering states to take a call in favour of public health.
In a letter to states, ICMR director general Balram Bhargava said, "Now, testing supplies are also stabilizing and many of you have started procuring such kits from local market. Due to varied options of testing materials/ kits including indigenous ones, the prices are becoming competitive and are undergoing reduction."
Bhargava said Rs 4,500 was fixed earlier at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic when there was a global crisis of testing kits and reagents. At that time, India was heavily reliant on imported products for molecular detection of viruses. Besides, in mid-March, no rates for RT-PCR test for coronavirus were available for ready reference in the country. "Keeping in view the cost of imported kits and efforts involved in carrying out the test, ICMR suggested the upper limit of a single test at Rs 4,500," the letter said.
However, these parameters are no longer applicable, as the testing capacity and infrastructure have improved significantly since the onset of the viral outbreak in the country. The dependence on imported kits has also become negligible because of an increase in domestic production.
"ln this backdrop and keeping in view the evolving prices of the testing commodities, the earlier suggested upper ceiling of RS 4,500 vide letter dated 17/3/2020 may not be applicable now and 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 his letter.
This comes in the wake of low testing in private sector even as government is looking at ramping up testing capacities to make head ways even in remote locations, mainly with the movement of migrant workers from cities to their villages.
TOI reported on Monday that despite around 30% of the total Covid-19 testing labs in the private sector, merely 12-18% of total number of samples are tested in private labs, raising concerns over participation of the private sector in efforts to combat the pandemic. The lower testing in private labs can be in part explained by costs, even if capped, as compared to the government set up.
At present, there are 182 private laboratories in the country, whereas government labs are 428.
ICMR said that it is looking at aggressive timely testing as the standard protocol to contain the virus as well as save more lives.