Official! Ministry Of Health Sets Highest Price For PCR Tests At IDR 495 Thousand In Java-Bali And IDR 525 Thousand Outside Java-Bali

Illustrated / VOI

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health has officially set a change in the highest tariff for the cheaper price of the COVID-19 RT-PCR test. This determination was made on the orders of President Joko Widodo.

This was confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, Abdul Kadir, through a virtual press statement.

"From the evaluation results, we have agreed that the highest tariff limit for real-time PCR examinations has been lowered to IDR 495,000 for the islands of Java and Bali, and IDR 525,000 for areas outside Java and Bali", Kadir said on Monday, August 16.

Kadir said that the determination of the highest tariff for COVID-19 test examinations revised the Circular Letter of the Director-General of Health Services Number HK.02.02/1/3713/2020 dated October 5, 2020.

"Almost a year ago, now is the time to conduct an evaluation by the Health Ministry together with Financial and Development Supervisory Agency", he said.

Kadir said that the evaluation was carried out by calculating the cost of the PCR examination which consisted of service components (HR), reagents or consumables, administrative costs, and other cost components that were adjusted to current conditions.

The results of real-time PCR examinations using a maximum amount of IDR 495 thousand and IDR 525 thousand are issued with a maximum duration of 1x24 hours from swab collection in real-time PCR examinations.

"Therefore, we request that all health facilities such as hospitals, laboratories, and other examination facilities that have been determined by the minister can comply with the highest tariff limit", explained Kadir.

Previously, Jokowi asked Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, to lower the price of PCR tests, to a minimum of IDR 450 thousand, and a maximum of IDR 550 thousand.

"I have spoken to the Minister of Health about this. I asked for the price of the PCR test to be IDR 450-550", he said in a video uploaded by the Cabinet Secretariat, Sunday, August 15.