RT-PCR tests to cost ₹499 in Gurugram

The price of the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), considered the gold standard test to detect Covid-19, was brought down to ₹499 in Haryana. On Monday, the state health department, for the sixth time, revised the testing cost and fixed separate rates for samples given directly at the lab and those collected from residences.

Samples collected in private hospitals or accredited diagnostic labs certified for Covid-19 testing will now cost ₹499, while the charge for home collection price has been capped at ₹699. Until now, one had to pay ₹700 to get tested at a private facility, whereas the cap was set at ₹900 for the home collection service, as per the rates fixed in the first week of December 2020.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, said, “Testing charges are reduced based on the rates of the RT-PCR kits, which has been constantly declining.”

The state health department, for the first time, slashed the RT-PCR testing charge on June 16, 2020. From ₹4,500, which was the upper limit for the RT-PCR charges fixed by the Indian Council of Medical Research in March, the testing cost was brought down to ₹2,400 in June. It was reduced to ₹1,600 on August 29, further to ₹1,200 on October 2 and ₹900 on October 29.

The costs of other tests to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the body, such as antigen test ( ₹500) antibody test ( ₹250), TrueNat ( ₹1250) and CBNAAT ( ₹2,400) continue to remain the same. On Monday, as per the district health bulletin, over 2164 RT-PCR tests and 181 rapid antigen tests were administered.