Hours after Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal said authorities will lower the price of the Covid-19 test using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the Delhi government on Monday set the price of the test. test in private laboratories at 800 rupees. the collection of samples will cost 1,200 rupees. At present, people have to spend Rs 2,400 for RT-PCR test in private laboratories.
CM Kejriwal had announced the move in an attempt to help those who want their tests done in private labs, which are carried out free of charge in government hospitals. “I have ordered the RT PCR test rates in Delhi to be reduced. Although testing is done free of charge in government establishments, this will help those who are tested in pvt labs, ”Kejriwal tweeted on Monday.
Taking an aggressive approach to contact tracing and testing, the Delhi government has carried out RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Testing to detect novel coronaviruses in the national capital. Both tests are done free of charge in hospitals and government testing centers, but not in private clinics or hospitals.
The government had previously capped the price of all Covid-19 tests, whether from a government or private center, in Delhi at 2,400 rupees. The decision was made at a meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, and attended by Kejriwal, Senior Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot and other senior officials from the Delhi police, administration and all of India. Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The move to limit the price of the RT-PCR test comes as Covid-19 cases in Delhi have reached 5.6 lakh and death has crossed the 9,000 mark. Delhi reported 4,906 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the cumulative number of positive cases reported so far this year to 5,66,648. In the last 24 hours, the national capital witnessed 68 deaths, adding to the total number of deaths. The city had recorded its highest peak in a single day of 8,593 cases on November 11.
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