The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday recommended the issuance of an Executive Order (EO) to mandate a price ceiling for Covid-19 swab tests for private hospitals, health facilities and other private institutions.
In an online media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH is still awaiting the decision from the Office of the President on the matter.
Vergeire said that they wanted to regulate the Covid-19 tests since they noticed “differential pricing across the different laboratories in the country.”
She noted the existing law only imposes a price ceiling on medicines, but the cost of diagnostics and professional fees are not covered.
The Covid-19 using RT-PCR tests ranges from P4,000 to P12,000.
“We will conduct small surveys to determine price range,same as what we do with medicines,and we will consult with experts plus DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] regarding the prices,” she added.
The DOH official said that the EO will “mandate DOH and/or DTI to cap prices, then the national agency assigned will issue details like price ceiling, etc. thru admin policies.”
Image credits: Roy Domingo