Accept govt rate or face action: CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has warned the medical laboratories for staying away from conducting the RT-PCR tests. He has warned of severe consequences, including cancellation of their licences, if they are not ready to accept the government rates.
On Saturday, in several parts of the state the labs had stopped the testing since they were not ready to accept the revised rate of Rs 500 per test, fixed by the government. The labs have been demanding that the rates should be made a minimum of Rs 1,500 or else they will not be ready to conduct the tests.
The chief minister said the labs cannot stay away from the testing and if they continue to do so, then the government would be forced to act against them legally. “This is not the time to make profit through business. It is the time of the pandemic and the labs should take note of it. The government has fixed the new rate after conducting a detailed study,” the CM said.
He said it is estimated that per test the maximum expense incurred is Rs 240 and yet the government has fixed Rs 500 per test. Only a few labs have stayed away from the new rates and the remaining ones are conducting the tests. But the government is making it clear that no one can refuse to go by the government rates and charge above it.
“The government requests everyone to cooperate and conduct the tests. This is the time of a pandemic and it is the time we have to come together to support the people. Hence the government hopes that all the labs will follow the government rate. No labs can take individual decisions at this time and if they are going against the government rate, they will have to face the consequences,” the CM said.
However, the consortium of the labs associations have approached the state government and urged to revise the rate to at least Rs 1,500 since the present rate was not affordable for them. Earlier, the government had fixed the rate at Rs 1,500 and the labs had approached the high court. Following the court verdict, the rate was revised to Rs 1,700.
Any private laboratory that denies RT PCR testing/any of the other tests for Covid-19 at the rates fixed by the government of Kerala or that charges in excess of the rates fixed by the state government shall be deemed to have committed offences under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Ordinance, 2020 and other relevant provisions in law and action shall be initiated against such laboratory accordingly. The District Disaster Management Authority, police and other agencies, including health department, involved in regulating the affairs of such private laboratories shall initiate stringent, lawful steps for the same, according to an order issued by the chief secretary.
Act against labs that fleece patients: BJP
Meanwhile, BJP has criticized the state government for the refusal of private labs to slash the charges for RT-PCR testing. BJP state president K Surendran said that the government was responsible for private labs charging Rs 1,700 for the test.
“It was the state government that helped the labs to charge Rs 1,700 for the test that costs only Rs 500 in other states. But even after the state government fixed the rate at Rs 500, labs are not willing to obey the same. The government should take stern action against labs that refuse to cutdown the RTPCR testing rate,” he said. If the rates are not brought down immediately, BJP would launch protest, he warned.