Many collection staff working with private and government labs are minting money by charging as much as Rs.1000 for Rapid Antigen Tests and Rs.1500 for RT PCR tests amid an unprecedented spike in cases, which has led to an overwhelming rise in the number of city residents voluntarily opting for a Covid test but choosing to get their swab samples collected from home.
Some locals, who underwent Covid tests recently, also alleged that staff working with Covid testing labs asked for extra money to get test results before the waiting period – usually three to four days.“I was asked to pay Rs.3000 to a staff member working at RIMS (Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences) for rapid test of three family members.
The government’s cap on the price of Covid tests is only in pen and paper as cases are soaring and nobody has the time to wait for days only to confirm whether they have Covid or not,” said Giridhari Panda, a resident of Morhabadi, who recently recovered from Covid.
In December last year, the government capped RT PCR test at Rs.800 and Rapid Antigen Test at Rs.150 only. However, the second wave of Covid-19 has made a mockery of the prices set by the government. Now, patients are willing to shell out more to get quick test results and collection staff are not shying away from demanding more money.
“If you drop a request for home collection of swab sample today, then I will be able to collect your swab by tomorrow evening. You will have to pay Rs.1500 for the test,” said a collection staff working with a private lab in Ranchi. “The test reports will come in the next five to six days, but we can manage something if you need the reports sooner,” he added.
The collection staff, who also collects swab samples for RIMS, said that the additional charge for the test was justified as government-run swab collection centres for Covid-19 tests were unable to provide test results even after weeks.
“You will not have to stand in queues and risk getting infected. Also, the test results will reach you sooner. The additional Rs.300-400 that we are charging is only token money if you look at the problems you would have to face if you go to a collection centre run by the government,” the collection staff said.
Ranchi is faced with the worst ever wave of Covid-19. The death toll in the city breached the 1000-mark on Tuesday, while the active caseload hovers around 20,000 here.