Question NW1563 to the Minister of Health
21 August 2020 - NW1563
Motsepe, Ms CCS to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What steps has he taken to regulate the price that is charged for Covid-19 testing; (2) what is the total (a) breakdown of the type of Covid-19 tests that the public healthcare sector has conducted since 5 March 2020 and (b) number of (i) positive and (ii) negative test results that have been reported to date?
Reply:
1. There are no regulations that allow for capping of prices in the private sector. Discussions have been held with the private laboratories to bring down their prices. The private laboratories were charging different prices, with some charging up to R1,400 per test. Following these discussions all private laboratories reduced their prices to R850 per test.
2. Free testing in the private sector will be difficult as private laboratories have to recover their costs. In the public sector patients do not pay if they are not on medical aid.
END.