Hospitals And Private Clinics That Do Not Follow The Official Price For The Antigen Rapid Test Will Be Sanctioned

Illustration. (Medakit Ltd / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The government has set the highest tariff limit for antigen rapid test based on the swab or swab method. Therefore, hospitals (RS) and clinics are obliged to follow the official price that has been set. If not, sanctions will be imposed.

Secretary of the Directorate General of Health Services of the Ministry of Health, Azhar Jaya, said that the official price for the antigen rapid test was set due to complaints from the public regarding the different test prices at each hospital.

Health Ministry of Health and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), said Azhar, have calculated a number of components to determine the highest price, including services, materials, and administrative costs.

Furthermore, Azhar emphasized that all health facilities that serve antigen rapid tests must follow the established rules.

"Hospitals and private clinics must follow this policy. Once again I emphasize that they must follow this policy," said Azhar in a press conference, Friday, December 18.

As previously reported, the Ministry of Health and BPKP have officially set a maximum price limit for the rapid antigen test of IDR 250 thousand for the island of Java. Meanwhile, outside Java the amount is IDR 275 thousand.

According to Azhar, there are sanctions given to hospitals or clinics that do not comply with the maximum price for this antigen rapid test.

"The sanctions are measurable, from notification, summons, to further steps related to licensing which we may adjust according to the severity or lightness of the violation," he said.

Previously, Azhar said, the swab antigen rapid test was a rapid test to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen in samples originating from the respiratory tract. The antigen will be detected when the virus is actively replicating.

This test is best done when a person has recently been infected because before a person's antibodies appear to fight a virus that enters the body, there is a role for antigens to study it. The presence of the antigen is what is detected.

This rapid antigen test is also a requirement for travel. The implementation of the mandatory rapid antigen test or PCR policy was carried out in Java and Bali during the Christmas and New Year periods, from 18 December 2020 to 8 January 2021.