6 days ago
Health Department caps price of Influenza panel and COVID tests at ₹1,700
Following complaints of private laboratories and hospitals charging exorbitantly for Influenza panel and COVID tests, the State Health Department has capped the price for these tests at ₹1,700. A government order to this effect was issued on Thursday.
This fixed rate will apply to tests to detect all viral infections, including COVID-19, carried out by private medical institutions, hospitals, and laboratories in the State. 'This is an all-time price cap and not just during an outbreak or surge,' said Harsh Gupta, principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare.
'It has come to light that some private medical institutions and laboratories in the State have been collecting throat swab samples even for ordinary fevers and conducting tests using 'Influenza Panel' kits, charging between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 for such tests. The price cap follows several complaints from people regarding this,' he said.
If any laboratory or hospital charges more than the fixed rate, action will be taken under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act. Medical institutions have also been instructed to mandatorily record SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) and ILI (Influenza-like Illness) cases under the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), he said.
