KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — The ceiling price for Covid-19 tests does not cover other associated fees for testing, the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) said today.
APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said that the legislated price controls for Covid-19 testing — which he said only apply to private laboratories’ charges — did not include fees to obtain samples, the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE), and medical personnel’s consultation fees.
“This was confirmed through a letter from the Deputy Director General of Health dated 1 June 2021 to all the private laboratories,” Dr Kuljit mentioned in a statement today.
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the capped price of Covid-19 tests were gazetted under the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 on May 11.
The ceiling price set for polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests is at RM150, RTK-antigen tests at RM60, and RTK antibody tests at RM50 in peninsular Malaysia.
The RT-PCR tests in Sabah and Sarawak are capped at RM200, whereas RTK-antigen tests have a price ceiling of RM80 and RTK-antibody tests at RM70.
Dr Kuljit, who acknowledged the difference in price range for Covid-19 tests across private hospitals in Malaysia, said that the health care facilities are trying to keep prices as low as possible.
“Private hospitals will display the final Covid-19 test charges which will include the laboratory charges and other costs for the public to choose and decide and it will vary from each hospital based on its service and geographical location,” Dr Kuljit added.
“However, it will be kept as low as possible to cover the total cost.”
