Prices For PCR Tests Still Varied, Deputy Governor Of DKI: We Can't Force

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria said that his party could not force health facilities to immediately uniform the price of the COVID-19 test based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

This happened because many laboratories and private hospitals participated in providing these tests.

"We can't force it because a lot of private parties are participating," he told reporters in Jakarta, Sunday, August 22.

Even so, Riza said the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government had tried to reduce the price of PCR tests according to the direction of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). So, he hopes that in the future prices will be cheaper and more people will be able to carry out independent inspections.

"God willing, in the near future everything will decrease, the cheaper the PCR test, the more we will do 3T (testing, tracing, treatment)," said the Gerindra Party politician.

Riza also said that his party has not imposed sanctions on health facilities that have not set tariffs as ordered by President Jokowi. He only ensured that in the future the price of tests would be cheaper so that tests could be carried out on a massive scale to track COVID-19 cases.

"(The discussion, ed) hasn't gone that far (sanctioning, ed). But what is certain is that we make sure the price of PCR in Jakarta is as cheap as possible so that there will be more testing," he said.

As previously reported, the Ministry of Health has set the highest rate reduction for the PCR test fee of Rp495,000 in Java-Bali and Rp525 thousand outside Java-Bali.

The Director-General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, Abdul Kadir, said that all health care facilities that provide paid PCR must comply with this rule. Kadir asked the local Health Office to oversee its implementation.

"We ask for this supervision to be carried out by the provincial health office, district, and city health offices. We hope that all of us follow, have good intentions to follow this rule," said Kadir on Monday, August 16.

Kadir said that the Regional Health Offices were also asked to impose sanctions if there were health service facilities that violated the new PCR tariff rules.

"The authority to impose sanctions is given to the respective district/city health offices," he said.