Talk to labs to cut test costs: Centre to states

In a letter written to the chief secretaries of states and Union Territories on Monday, ICMR director basic Balram Bhargava mentioned state governments “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”.

“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 wrote.

“ICMR continuously advocates aggressive testing of lLl symptomatic persons for which RT-PCR test is considered as gold standard. 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.”

Private laboratories have maintained that they’re doing a “service to the nation” and that even with Rs 4,500 they aren’t capable of get well their bills and are persevering with the assessments at a time when non-Covid take a look at volumes are considerably down.