People will soon be able to avail themselves of a more affordable real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing fee.
This comes after Vice Governor Rene Lopez Relampagos and the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) approved on Tuesday, October 12, an ordinance that amends the previous price cap of RT-PCR testing fee at a laboratory owned and operated by the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh).
Provincial Health Officer. Dr. Greg Julius Sodusta explained during a pre-session conference that the Department of Health (DOH) issued a Department Circular No. 2021-0374 that establishes the new price cap for Coronavirusdisease (Covid) RT-PCR testing being done in all hospitals, laboratories, and other health establishments and related facilities.
According to Dr. Sodusta, the new price cap for plate-based test for public labs is now pegged at P2,800.
He added that the price cap for cartridge-based test is now at P2,450.
Dr. Sodusta said, at present, the PGBhs containerized laboratory is using plate-based testing method.
The chairperson of the Committee on Ways and Means, Board Member Aldner Damalerio said that this is the second amendment of Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-007 after it was approved last year. Initially, Prov. Ordinance No. 2020-25 set the price cap for the RT-PCR test at P4,500.00 and then it was lowered to P3,800.
Relampagos said that an amendment to an existing ordinance is needed in order to follow the price cap of the DOH for the benefit of the general public.
