NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Thursday reduced the cost of the RT-PCR test for detecting Covid-19 infections in private hospitals and labs by 40% to Rs 300 and of the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) to Rs 100 with immediate effect. Earlier, the rate of RT-PCR test at private hospitals was Rs 500 while RAT used to cost Rs 300.
According to the latest order issued by the health department, all labs and hospitals will have to display the revised rates at a prominent place within 24 hours. The home collection of samples and testing will now cost Rs 500 against the earlier Rs 700. At government centres and hospitals, both RT-PCR and RAT are conducted for free of cost.
The private facilities have to process the samples within 12 hours of being received in labs. The department said that for positive samples, results should be updated on the ICMR portal within 30 minutes of being processed. The details of all negative samples will be on the portal within 24 hours, it stated.
The order also said the cost of conventional RT-PCR tests for which samples are collected by government teams and then collected by private sector labs as requisitions by districts or hospitals will be Rs 200. The cost of RT-PCR for which samples are collected by private labs for the government will be Rs 300.