VIJAYAWADA: The government has fixed the rates for conducting rapid antigen tests by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Healthcare Providers (NABH) laboratories in the State. The test should not cost more than Rs 750 (including the cost of rapid antigen kit, PPE kit and manpower). For further test in symptomatic negative cases, the sample should be collected using the Viral Transport Medium (VTM) kit and sent to the Viral Research and Diagnostic Lab (VRDL) to which the hospital is tied up.
For the test conducted using RT-PCR machine, the patient should not be charged more than `2,800 per sample. The Medical and Health Department, in a GO issued on Monday, said all the institutions which intend to do rapid antigen tests, should have a tie-up with the ICMR approved VRDL. The government asked the interested private NABH hospitals and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABLs) to apply to the nodal officer for testing permission and getting the ICMR login credentials.
“The test results should be accurately entered in the State logins and ICMR logins issued by the CEO of YSR Aarogyasri Health Care Trust. The approved hospitals and labs should display the rates in a visible manner to the public,’’ the GO said and directed all the DM&HO in the State to strictly monitor the rapid antigen testing process in the private hospitals and labs and ensure that no extra charges are levied on patients. The CEO of YSRAHCT and the State Nodal Officer for Labs should monitor the process of issuing permissions and login credentials.
It may be recalled that the ICMR has authorised the use of rapid antigen test kits for identifying Covid-19, in addition to the various other methods and liberalised the testing and generated five common login credentials for each district of the State/Union Territory, which may be shared with all the government and private facilities selected for antigen testing. A nodal officer should be nominated from the State, who can contact the ICMR for getting login credentials.
For ensuring better access to Covid testing for people, the government decided to issue login credentials to as many hospitals as possible, specially PHCs, CHCs, Area Hospitals, District Hospitals and NABH hospitals and NABLs of private sector and fixed the rate for rapid antigen test.