Karnataka Fixes Cost For Coronavirus Testing at Rs 2250 in Private Labs, Won't Provide Kits
The Karnataka government, headed by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, on Friday fixed Rs 2,250 as the price of testing for coronavirus in private laboratories.
Bengaluru, April 17: The Karnataka government, headed by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, on Friday fixed Rs 2,250 as the price of testing for coronavirus in private laboratories. Jawaid Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka's Health and Family Welfare department, issued a circular, saying the cost for coronavirus testing has been fixed at Rs 2,250 following discussion and negotiations with private laboratories. Coronavirus Tracker Live.
"The cost per test (including the screening test and confirmatory test) for the samples sent by the Government is fixed at Rs 2250," the circular said. The circular further listed conditions for testing of suspected coronavirus cases in private labs. The conditions including that the lab will share results with the state government and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in real-time. The government will not provide kits to private labs. Coronavirus Cases in India Reach 13,835, Death Toll Jumps to 452, Over 200 COVID-19 Patients Recover in Past 24 Hours.
Karnataka Circular on Coronavirus Testing Cost:
The ICMR has approved 16 (11 government and 5 private) laboratories for testing samples of suspected coronavirus patients in Karnataka. Earlier, the central government had recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs 4,500. This may include Rs 1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 17, 2020 11:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).