The Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) has asked the laboratories in the province not to charge more than Rs850 for the dengue NS1 antigen test due to the unprecedented rise in dengue fever cases, with over 200 cases of the viral disease reportedly emerging in Karachi over the course of the last 24 hours.
In the meantime, until December 31, 2022, the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has ordered all private hospitals to charge no more than Rs. 1 for the NS1 Elisa test for dengue fever.
Following a meeting with representatives of every private lab in the province, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the SHCC, Dr. Ahson Qavi informed that it had been determined that labs and private hospitals would not charge more than Rs850 for the dengue NS1 antigen test.
He said that because hundreds of patients were catching the dengue virus and many of them were unable to pay the labs’ testing fees of Rs1,400 to Rs3,000, the SHCC decided to step in.
He said that because hundreds of patients were catching the dengue virus and many of them were unable to pay the labs’ testing fees of Rs1,400 to Rs3,000, the SHCC decided to step in.
Similar to this, he claimed, the ICT malaria test for the detection of the malarial parasite will only cost Rs500 in the province while the platelet count test or complete blood count (CBC) would only cost Rs250.
The Islamabad Health Jurisdiction said that it had set the maximum price for the NS1 Elisa test at Rs1,800 after acting within the authority granted by the Islamabad Healthcare Regulations Act 2018.
The decision was made in accordance with a resolution reached at a consultative meeting with representatives of private laboratories and hospitals a few days ago, according to a notification from IHRA CEO Dr. Quaid Saeed.
Notification: “Every laboratory conducting Elisa for dengue has to mention following details in its report: Machine used during the test (Elisa), Reagents / Kits with their certification and individual batch number. All private hospitals, laboratories and collection centers are directed to clearly display the dengue test rates and also that in case of any grievances, the patients can lodge a complaint to Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority,”
