Circular Minimum Price For COVID-19 Swab Test Not Yet Out, Are You Ready To Follow The Hospital?

Illustrations (Photo: Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has set a unit cost for the COVID-19 swab test of Rp. 900 thousand in all health facilities, both government and private.

However, currently the maximum price for the swab test as well as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) examination has not been implemented. Head of the Communication and Community Service Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Widyawati, said that his party had not issued a circular.

"There is no circular (regarding the price fixing of swab tests). Just wait," said Widyawati in a short message to VOI, Monday, October 5.

Even so, said Widyawati, she had socialized the price of swab tests so that all hospitals could prepare for price adjustments.

"Last Friday, there was socialization," he said.

Separately, the Public Relations of the Central General Hospital (RSUP) Fatmawati, Atom Kadam admitted that his party would follow the maximum standard price for the COVID-19 swab test set by the Ministry of Health.

"In principle, Fatmawati Hospital is a government-owned health facility. What has been determined by the central government, we will follow and implement this decree," said Atom.

However, currently Fatmawati General Hospital is still using the old rate before receiving a circular from the Ministry of Health. "We are still waiting for the decree," he said.

VOI also asked the Chairman of the Indonesian Private Hospital Association (ARSSI) Susi Setiawaty to set the price for the swab test in private hospitals. However, until this article was written, Susi had not responded.

Previously reported, Acting Director General of Health Services of the Ministry of Health, Abdul Kadir, announced that the cost for one swab test was set at Rp. 900 thousand.

This determination was made, so that the public could access this test in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic while still paying attention to the condition of the health facilities that held it.

"The Ministry of Health and BPKP agreed that there is a mutual agreement on the upper limit of the fee for swab and independent PCR which we can be held accountable for to assign to the community, namely Rp. 900 thousand," said Abdul.

Before the determination of this fee was taken, Abdul said that his party had conducted three discussions with the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) and carried out surveys and analyzes in various health facilities.

For reference in determining prices, these two institutions then calculate a number of things such as services to the price of the equipment used.

"We calculate the cost component which consists of services or human resources. For this service, of course we count doctors, clinical microbiologists, then extraction personnel, sampling services. Then the other components are consumables including PPE level 3. Besides that, we calculated the reagent price, namely the extraction price and the PCR itself, "he said.

Reporting from era.id, here are the prices for swab tests in a number of hospitals today:

- Universitas Indonesia Kinanti Hospital

Independent swab test price: IDR 1,675,000.

- Mayapada Hospital

Swab test price: IDR 3.5 million, 6 hours test result.

Rp. 3 million package, results in 12 hours after receiving the laboratory department

IDR 2 million package, results one day after swab

Rp1.5 million package, results in 3 days

- Siloam Hospital

Swab test price: IDR 2.5 million and IDR 3.5 million

The test results came out on the same day for the Rp 3.5 million package.

A Rp 2.5 million package came out the day after the test.

-RS Premier Jatinegara

swab test price: IDR 3,000,000 results out of 6 hours

The Rp2,000,000 package results out 24 hours