30 August 2020, Kathmandu
The Ministry of Health and Population has slashed the maximum charge that a laboratory can collect from a person for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for coronavirus.
Whereas the previous maximum cost was Rs 5,500, it has been reduced to Rs 4,400, informs the ministry’s assistant spokesperson Sameer Kumar Adhikari. “Even after adding all applicable service charges, a lab cannot collect more than this amount,” he says.
Meanwhile, the government is preparing to set a new standard for free coronavirus tests. Now onwards, only those who are in direct contact with the infected persons, who have symptoms, and who are working at the front line will be tested for free, according to Adhikari.
