Price Of COVID-19 Testing Is Expensive, Faisal Basri: It Should Be Free

JAKARTA - The spread of COVID-19 in the country is increasingly widespread. In fact, cases of COVID-19 transmission in Indonesia continue to increase, reaching 3,000 cases within 24 hours.

As cases continue to increase, the government has not conducted massive testing. Even for self-testing, the price is quite expensive.

University of Indonesia Senior Economist Faisal Basri said the government wanted to save the economy and the health sector simultaneously. Maximum results will not be obtained if you only rely on the community to use masks and wash hands, and keep your distance.

Furthermore, Faisal said, the key to handling COVID-19 and the parallel economy was testing and contact tracing. Therefore, the government must help labor-intensive businesses to conduct testing.

"Testing and contact tracing. So there is no other drug. Come on, the government will improve it, help labor-intensive companies for testing," he said, during a hearing with Commission VI, at the DPR Building, Parliament Complex, Monday, August 31.

However, Faisal said, instead of helping the people, the government is asking state-owned enterprises (BUMN) to carry out the medical equipment business for handling COVID-19.

"Now I'm sorry, SOEs are told to do business. Import SOEs to be resold to the hospital. What is this government. In all other countries the testing is free. I paid Rp1.7 million because I was at Atmajaya University, 3 days the test results came out," he said.

Meanwhile, said Faisal, private companies are not allowed to import medical devices. This actually benefits SOEs and makes people lose money because of the high price of testing for COVID-19.

As is well known, the cost of testing someone infected with the COVID-19 virus or not in Indonesia varies across agencies. Even though there is a free test, people still have to take an independent test if they want to travel or enter a city in Indonesia.

For example, when you want to ride a train, you need the results of a rapid test, PCR test, or influenza test as a condition for someone to ride the train.

Director General of Health and Referral Services of the Ministry of Health Bambang Wibowo said the price of PCR reagents was quite expensive. For one test, one reagent costs Rp. 800 thousand to Rp. 1 million.

This price does not even include other tools for checking COVID-19. So it is estimated that the total expenditure incurred for one examination is IDR 1.2 million.

Meanwhile, the price for carrying out the PCR test at private hospitals is much more expensive, ranging from Rp1 million to Rp1.2 million compared to government hospitals.

Twitter account @asil conducted a survey of several hospitals providing swab tests as of June 1, 2020. Here's the list:

1. Pertamina Hospital

Drive thru facility: available

Register: 082111365121 (WhatsApp)

Price: IDR 2,500,000

Result: H + 1 after the swab test, sent via WA or email

2. RS Sari Asih Ciputat

This hospital has several branches but according to the form, only those in Ciputat can do the swab test.

Drive thru facility: none

Register: https://t.co/u5ETMzHIRN

Phone: 021-7410808

WhatsApp: 08161913838

Price: IDR 2,100,000

3. Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital

Drive thru facility: none

Register: come to the RSPAD Amino Pavilion at 07.00 WIB to 11.30 WIB on Monday to Thursday.

Fee: IDR 1,600,000 (swab only) or IDR 2,800,000 (complete with rapid test, screening, consultation and certificate)