PCR Prices Could Drop Again After The Ministry Of Health Evaluates

ILLUSTRA TION / VOI

JAKARTA - The Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Abdul Kadir said the price of the RT-PCR test has the opportunity to fall again, after the highest tariff reduction has just been set at this time.

The decline in the price of COVID-19 examinations, said Kadir, could be lowered again according to the results of the evaluation of the Ministry of Health together with the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

"When the time comes, there will be dynamics in each of these prices, of course we will re-evaluate. It will not be closed again later there will be a re-evaluation and the price can go down again," said Kadir in a virtual press conference, Monday, August 16.

Kadir said, the Ministry of Health officially set the highest tariff change for the price of the COVID-19 RT-PCR test, which was cheaper than the previous Rp900 thousand.

The highest tariff limit for real-time PCR examinations has been lowered to Rp495,000 for the islands of Java and Bali, and Rp525 thousand for areas outside Java and Bali.

"This means, there has been a decline of approximately 45 percent than in the early stages we set the highest price limit," said Kadir.

Kadir explained the reason for the new government to lower the price of PCR tests. He said, currently there is a decrease in the prices of reagents and consumable medical equipment.

The medical equipment includes the price of masks, hazmat clothes, gloves, which are currently also experiencing a decline in selling prices compared to the beginning of the pandemic.

"So, in the early stages of the pandemic, the prices of reagents and consumable medical materials that we buy are still high, so we refer to these prices," explained Kadir.

"Therefore, after we evaluate, now there has been a price decline. Based on the price decline, we do a re-calculation, so the highest price is now Rp. 495 thousand," he continued.