The government has allowed all the private laboratories that have been given permission to conduct PCR tests to do so by charging fees.
The Health Ministry earlier had picked and chose to allow only a select few laboratories to collect sample and do PCR test charging fees while others had to wait for the government to send samples to test. The government would pay Rs 5,500 for every test to such laboratories it sent the samples to.
Ministry Spokesperson Dr Jageshwore Gautam said all the private laboratories with permission can now do that charging Rs 5,500. The government has taken the decision as private laboratories protested against the discrimination among those with permission to conduct PCR tests.
The patients,however, will have to pay extra 10 percent on Rs 5,500 for giving samples to the laboratories without permission. Those labporatories can charge Rs 550 for extracting swab and send the sample to the laboratories with permission to conduct PCR test.
The Health Ministry initially had given permission only to Bir Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) and Patan Hospital to do PCR tests charging fees. It had then expanded that to one government hospital in every province.
It then extended the permission to Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and Star Hospital of Kathmandu out of the six that the government had granted permission to do PCT tests.
Central Diagnostic Laboratory, Surya Health Care of Lazimpat, Kathmandu, National Path Lab of Butwal and Bageshwori Laboratory of Kohalpur were the other laboratories to initially get permission to do PCR tests.
It had recently given permission to HAMS Hospital to conduct PCR tests by charging fees.
