The direction comes at a very important time when private labs having the approval to carry Covid-19 tests are charging Rs. 4500 per test.
New Delhi| The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the central government to ensure free covid-19 testing facilities are available for all citizens. The direction comes at a very important time when private labs having the approval to carry covid-19 tests are charging Rs. 4500 per test.
A bench comprising of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat asked the government to explore the feasibility of a process to reimburse private labs so that they don’t take money from citizens to get tested.
“Don’t allow private labs to charge a high amount for tests. Create a mechanism for reimbursement (of private labs) from the government”, said Justice Ashok Bhushan.
Solicitor General, representing the central government, said he’ll take the instructions in this regard of covid-19 testing.
To ramp up the testing for Covid-19, selective private labs are being allowed to carry the tests for Rs. 4500 per person. The patient who wants to get tested will have to pay the amount.
Many had said that the testing cost at private labs is too high for the poor to get tested, considering the limited capacity of government facilities to test patients. Supreme Court’s direction in this regard will certainly give the poor an opportunity to get tested without the worry of cost.
India has recorded 149 deaths linked to coronavirus, with 35 dying in the last 24 hours alone. The latest data from the Union Health Ministry takes the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 5,194 cases. This is the biggest spike in both the number of cases and deaths.
The number of active coronavirus cases in India has risen to 4,643, the Health Ministry confirmed. At least 149 people have died from the disease, and 401 treated and discharged.
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