Puan: Strict Action For Health Facilities Not Complying With The Highest Price PCR Test

Speaker of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, has asked the government to take firm action against health facilities such as hospitals, clinics and laboratories that do not comply with the regulation on the highest price limit for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test set by the government.

"The government in giving warnings or sanctions to these health facilities must be carried out firmly. The government has lowered the price of PCR tests, do not let health facilities under 'outsmart' the people with these additional costs, these health facilities must be dealt with firmly," said Puan Maharani quoted Between, Friday, August 20.

Puan highlighted the existence of a number of health facilities that still set the price for PCR tests above the highest tariff limit set by the government.

According to him, the government has set the highest tariff limit for PCR test examinations, which is one of the efforts to strengthen the testing of COVID-19 cases.

"All health facilities such as hospitals, clinics and laboratories must comply with these provisions," he said.

Puan said that health issues, especially those that fall into the category of national disasters such as COVID-19, should not be used as an arena for certain parties to seek maximum profit.

Therefore, he asked the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) to take firm action against health facilities that violated the law because it could not only be given a warning.

"The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the method of adding components to premium and instant services to increase the price of the PCR test has violated the rules. Because the upper tariff limit is based on provisions including administrative costs and doctor services," he continued.

Puan also asked the Ministry of Health through the Health Office (Dinkes) in each region to carry out strict supervision and could cooperate with the National Police in conducting monitoring.

According to Puan, the Health Office can cooperate with the regional police to carry out surveillance so that there are more detailed rules if there are violations.

Puan emphasized that health facilities should also not set a more expensive PCR test on the grounds that the results come out faster because there are instructions from the government that require the test results to come out within 1x24 hours.

"In fact, the sooner the better, it must be remembered that health facilities have a humanitarian duty as a service to the community. Don't then use the problem of faster results as an excuse to increase the price of the PCR test, especially in terms of calculation, health facilities do not lose with the highest price tariff limit," he said.

With the decrease in the price of PCR tests, it is hoped that more people will be tested so that the handling of COVID-19 will be better.

However, Puan reminded all health facilities not to reduce the quality of the PCR test even though the upper limit rate was lowered.

Previously, the provisions on the tariff limit for the PCR test were regulated in the Ministry of Health Circular No. HK.02.02/1/2845/2021 and comes into effect from Tuesday, August 17th. In accordance with President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) instructions, the Ministry of Health has set the maximum tariff limit for PCR tests in Java-Bali at around IDR495,000 and outside Java-Bali IDR525,000.