Despite a gradual decline in the prices of RT-PCR testing kits in the market, the government has not lowered the cost of the Covid tests at private hospitals and labs since May 2021.

The high cost is also thwarting the efforts to increase testing at a time when the Omicron variant of coronavirus is causing the number of new cases to soar, said experts.

In 2020, a PCR test kit cost between Tk 2,000 and 3,000. But each kit now costs between Tk 145 and 950. Taking into account the operational costs, officials at different private labs said they would still make a profit if they charged Tk 1,500 for each test.

But most of the private health facilities currently charge at least TK 3,000 for a PCR test, while the rate is Tk 2,500 for those about to travel abroad.

"I had Covid symptoms last week. But I did not get tested due to the high cost of tests at private labs. I didn't go to the government facilities because of the long queues," said Iqbal Hossain, manager of an apartment building in Tejturi Bazar area.

The health ministry set the current price on May 6 last year, reducing the previous maximum rate by only Tk 500, even though the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) sought a reduction of TK 1,500.

The DGHS last month recommended that the PCR test should not cost more than TK 2,000 and those travelling abroad should be able to get it for Tk 1,600. The ministry has yet to make a decision in this regard, said Farid Hossain Mian, director of hospitals and clinics at the DGHS.

A high official of the health ministry requesting not to be named said officials were working on the matter and a decision would be announced soon.

Compared to the cost of testing in India and the drop in prices of kits in the global market, the rate proposed by the DGHS is still high, experts said.

The Delhi government on January 20 set the maximum charge for a PCR test in private facilities at Rs 300, down from Rs 500.

The tests are widely accepted across the globe because of its reliability and accuracy. Around 50 companies dominate the global market for the testing kit while 23 companies have permission to sell it in Bangladesh.

"The testing fees should be updated in line with the price of the kit," Prof Nazrul Islam, member of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, told The Daily Star on Monday.

A PCR test at government facilities costs as low as Tk 100. But whenever there is a spike in new cases, the facilities take longer to process the result. So, the people who need their Covid test reports soon have no choice but to go to any of the 99 private labs which charge more for tests.

An average of 20,000 tests were done in the private facilities in the last seven days, according to the DGHS data.

Aminul Islam, lab in-charge and chief molecular biologist at Ashiyan Medical College Hospital, said the DGHS's recommendation to lower the test fees should be implemented.