Odisha: COVID-19 RT-PCR test price slashed to Rs 1200 at private labs

BHUBANESWAR: The COVID-19 tests in Odisha got cheaper with the State Government on Tuesday further slashing the cost of RT-PCR test by almost 45 per cent. People can now get their tests done at Rs 1200 at private labs.

On July 3, the Government had capped the price of RT-PCR tests at private laboratories at Rs 2,200. Initially, labs were charging somewhere between Rs 4500 to 5000. The tests at Government labs is free of cost.

A notification issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department in this regard said, the Government after careful consideration re-fixed the maximum price of RT-PCR COVID-19 test at Rs 1,200, which is inclusive of GST and all other incidental charges.

The State has four ICMR approved laboratories where RT-PCR tests can be done. The labs are Apollo Hospital, IMS & SUM Hospital, InDNA Life Sciences Pvt Ltd - KIIT TBI and GenX Diagnostics.

All are located at Bhubaneswar. Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra said that the cost of test was slashed following reduction in price of testing kits and other accessories. The RT-PCR kit is now priced Rs 390 instead of Rs 1200 earlier.

He said that similarly, the RNA extraction kit has also come down from Rs 300 to Rs 99. "The reduction in test price will help stepping up testing in the State. We will review the price once again next month," he added.

Meanwhile, 332 new cases were reported in the State Capital in the last 24 hours. The fresh cases included 159 persons who were infected locally. The new cases included a cluster outbreak of 11 cases in Jagannath Nagar area of Jharpada and 12 persons of 7th Battalion in Chandrasekharpur.