No profits in RT-PCR tests, says MMA

 

MMA suggests the Rapid Antigen Test Kits (RTK-Ag) be used for the purposes of mass testing, as they are cheaper, faster.

PETALING JAYA: The Covid-19 tests are expensive not because of profiteering but because of the resources needed to administer them like the laboratories, personal protective equipment (PPE) and others, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has clarified.

The MMA was responding to comments by the Malaysian Community Care Foundation, which said that “this is not the time to make a profit from the people by charging high screening fees,” regarding the high cost of getting tested for Covid-19 at some private hospitals and clinics.

It added that all quarters, including the private health sector, must work towards implementing widespread Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerese Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

In a statement, MMA president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said that “a single RT-PCR test requires not only the test kit but also PPE for the doctors and their team, sanitisation and proper clinical waste disposal as well as high-level laboratory costs, all of which are factored into the price.

“In addition, there is significant time and resources needed in terms of reporting of all tests done, notification of positive cases via e-notification, emails, fax or call within 24 hours in compliance with the health ministry’s SOPs (standard operating procedures) and guidelines.”

He said that lowering the cost of RT-PCR tests without taking these factors into consideration would be unsustainable.

Alternatively, he suggested that the Rapid Antigen Test Kits (RTK-Ag) be used for the purposes of mass testing, as they are cheaper, faster, and can indicate a person’s infectivity level.

“As a tool for mass screening, RT-PCR tests have the disadvantage of high costs and the longer time required to run them. Consequently, contact tracing will be prolonged which may defeat the purpose of mass screening and isolation.” - FMT