Private Covid test to cost less as govt does away with capping

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

Decks have been cleared for lowering the cost of private testing for Covid-19 with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today scrapping the Rs 4,500 upper price ceiling earlier fixed for the private lab testing.

In a letter to all state chief secretaries, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava has advised each one to renegotiate the prices of private lab testing following a huge potential for cost reduction due to development of local testing capacities.

“At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic there was a global crisis of testing kits and reagents, as India was heavily reliant on imported products…. the situation has changed and there is now a lot of competition available locally that would drive down the cost of private tests,” Bhargava said.

Home Secy to brief House panel on Covid

New Delhi: The Standing Committee on Home led by former Union Minister Anand Sharma has summoned a meeting on June 3 on the handling of the lockdown to tackle Covid. The panel is to be briefed by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla. This should be the first meet of any panel since Parliament was adjourned on March 23. TNS