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The health director believes that the public offering is good enough.
We constantly hear from authorities that there should be a low threshold for coronavirus testing. In some places the pressure is higher than in others, and especially in Oslo the infection situation is serious. Since the summer, the municipality of Oslo has greatly improved its testing capacity and, by the end of November, City Councilor Raymond Johansen reiterated that it is free to test in the capital.
See the video above: Bjørn Guldvog has his thoughts on the public and private trial offer.
However, there are a number of self-racers who can offer crowning trials that day. You can also get the test result the same day or the next day. However, there is a small catch, it is not cheap. Around NOK 1,000 and up to NOK 2,000 are the prices that Nettavisen has come across.
Selected private players in Oslo offering coronation tests
* Crown station: NOK 549 – a supplement of NOK 679 for responses the next day.
* Oslo Health: from 750 crowns to 2000 crowns.
* Volvat: from 820 crowns to 1640 crowns.
* Get: 795 crowns.
* Aleris: From 840 crowns and dynamic price depending on what you want.
* Dr. Dropin: 995 crowns.
* Oslo Medical Center: NOK 980.
* Emergency room West: From 1000 crowns to 1800 crowns.
* Medpoint: from 750 crowns to 1500 crowns.
* Doctors at home: From 1290 crowns.
* Clinic barcode: 830 crowns
Greatly enlarged
One of the industry players offering coronal testing is Oslo Helse, which has an office in Hegdehaugsveien. During the crown period, they have expanded their business on a large scale.
– Before the pandemic, we were only three employees in the company, now we are 21 employees. Due to high demand and several employees, we had to rent a separate room at Sporveisgata 13 of 400 square meters, writes general manager and doctor Kambiz Persley, in an email to Nettavisen.
– How much increased billing have you received due to corona tests?
– I do not want to publish figures or billing or costs that we have in relation to the corona tests, but I can say that the billing is obviously higher than in 2019, when our services last year were based on GPs and private services. This year we also have this new service that helps increase sales, says Persley.
Also read: Fears a twin pandemic in Norway: – It will be uncomfortable, says NIPH researcher (+)
Another player in the market, Klinikk Barcode, has been the most affordable provider on the market. A few months ago it cost 690 crowns per test, but Kapital was told that the price is dynamic, depending on the increase in demand or not.
– Increases considerably
This fall, they have increased the price to NOK 830, which is still a competitive price in the market. Doctor and CEO Frederic Rivelsrud had little to say to Nettavisen, but he did say the following to Finansavisen in September:
– We are a start-up company and we expected sales to increase significantly this year, and it does. Pandemic or not. Covid-19 affects sales to some degree, but overall it is quite insignificant. We were profitable before the pandemic hit and we have strong legs to lean on when the situation has normalized. Turnover increases week by week and we are facing exciting times.
See what the Prime Minister had to say about what this year’s Christmas celebration can look like:
Defend the sums
At Oslo Health, you can perform a PCR test, which is the “usual” test for most people, in which a swab is inserted into the nose / throat. It costs from 750 crowns, but the price can be 1250 crowns if you want confirmation of a negative test result in connection with a trip abroad.
Also read: The infection rate continues to rise in the Grorud district
If you want a quick analysis, that is, a response as quickly as possible, the total price will be 1400 crowns. It is also possible to pay SEK 2000 for a package including antigen test (rapid test) and PCR test. Then you will get an answer to the quick test after 15 minutes. These prices are roughly in the same price range as with other players, but the Oslo Health doctor believes the prices are reasonable.
– It is expensive to buy consumables and test equipment. This activity entails significantly higher costs that for us are not covered by the public sector. It is free to test at public and municipal test stations, but not everyone can be tested there. People who travel or companies that want to test their employees are an example of this, Persley concludes.
– The need should not be great
Health Director Bjørn Guldvog has realized that there are several private players in the market.
– The Norwegian Directorate of Health has no opinion on the contribution of private actors, as it happens in a responsible way, as there are approval procedures in which we are involved, but the need for private testing should not be great. The most important thing for people to know is that public sector tests are completely free and that almost everyone gets a response after one day and a maximum of two days, Guldvog tells Nettavisen.
– What do you think of the price level of the corona tests that are offered privately?
– It is in this order of magnitude where the real price of the test will be, since all costs are taken into account. There are reagents, personnel costs, and other things, but I cannot comment on the exact picture of the cost to the individual player, responds the health director.
Also read: Oslo extends social lockdown: comes with emergency calls from the business community
And repeat:
– Since the trials are free for anyone who wants it in public, this is not something I would recommend. However, there may be some, for various reasons, who want to prove themselves on the side of this. And as long as it is robust and well regulated, we have no opinions on it.
– You pay nothing extra
Regardless of whether it is public or private actors, the tests must be sent to an approved laboratory. The Oslo University Hospital (OUS) analyzes coronary tests in two laboratories.
– At the Ullevål Virology and Molecular Diagnostic Unit. Here, all of our respiratory tract samples are generally tested for viruses. Samples are received from OUS, Diakonhjemmet, Lovisenberg and some other public and private actors in Oslo. Here, both the transport time and the analysis time are relatively short, so the total response time (of the sample taken – sample answered) is relatively short, writes microbiology professor Fredrik Müller in an email. to Nettavisen.
And delve into the second lab:
– In our Pandemil Lab: This has been specifically set up to test large quantities of corona samples from outpatient test clinics in Oslo, as well as from some applicants in other parts of Health South-East. Due (in part) to the longer transport time and other instruments, the response time here is somewhat longer. In general, there are probably public actors who send samples here, says Müller.
– Do private actors pay more for a faster response?
– Therefore, it is not “public” versus “private” that determines the response time, but on which analytics platform the sample is examined. Individuals pay nothing extra for quick responses. On the other hand, OUS offers rapid tests to selected patients in the hospital, but not otherwise, says the OUS professor.
Lay on the floor
Earlier this year, the municipality of Oslo received some criticism for a lack of testing capacity. The Oslo City Council received harsh criticism after the August summer holidays, as the number of infections in the capital increased.
Health Counselor Robert Steen lay down and said the following:
– We now experience that we have unacceptable wait times to perform a test. We currently have wait times of one week; not satisfactory, he said, who thought that the extended opening hours and more test stations will now reduce wait time.
Also read: The Health Agency: – Unacceptable waiting times for coronary tests
He said that the city council had initiated several measures, and among other things reached agreements with several private health trusts to carry out corona tests. However, the chairwoman of the Oslo City Council’s health and social committee, Aina Stenersen, was not entirely satisfied with the response.
– These plans should have been clear beforehand. In addition, it takes a week with the municipality to get a response, while with the private ones you get an answer the next day if you test before 1 in the afternoon. The municipality lags behind the private players, both digitally, innovatively and in terms of capacity, he told Nettavisen.
– If people want to pay a few thousand, then they can
The infection situation has now worsened since August, so it is still a good time for private players in the future. Red politician and City Council representative Eivor Evenrud, who has been critical of private actors in the past, prefers to emphasize that probation is good in the capital and that people are free to choose.
Also read: Corona Test: Raymond Johansen’s double standards
– The municipality of Oslo has a good testing capacity and the test is free. If people prefer to pay a few thousand to run the exact same test elsewhere, then they can, text Nettavisen.
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