The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday has strongly pushed for a much lower and standard cost of the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) or swab test for COVID-19 in all of the country’s hospitals.
DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año made this call to make it more affordable to more people who wish to undergo swab tests.
“Mas marami ang mabibigyan ng pagkakataong magpa-swab test kung pare-pareho ang presyo nito sa mga pribado at gobyernong ospital (A lot more will be given the chance to undergo swab tests if the cost is standardized in private and government hospitals),’’ Año said.
Año pointed out swab test is an effective way to prevent the surge of COVID-19.
Describing RT-PCR as “the gold standard for COVID testing’’, Año noted the “cheaper rapid tests in the market said to be inconclusive.’’
“A popular news website, in its recent survey of public and private hospitals, reported that the cost of RT-PCR tests ranged from P4,000 to P13,000, a range way above the purchasing power of ordinary Filipinos,’’ the DILG statement said.
Instead of taking the test, Año noted that “most Filipinos would rather spend their money to buy food and other necessities and follow the minimum health protocols to prevent contamination.’’
“Sana, pantay rin ang presyo ng swab tests sa mga pampubliko at pribadong hospital (I hope the cost of the swab test are equal in both private and public hospitals),” he added.
Año also supported the call of House Deputy Speaker and 1Pacman party-list Rep. Mikee Romero for the Department of Health (DOH) to immediately address public complaints regarding the different prices of swab tests.
The DILG chief also endorsed Romero's proposal for hospitals to provide free regular swab tests to their health workers who cannot afford them.
Romero noted that the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) charges the lowest at P3,500 per swab.
On the other hand, Romero said the cost of RT-PCR tests in nine Metro Manila private and government hospitals range from P3,500 to P8,150.
In August, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through Joint Memorandum Circular 20-04 urged the private companies to get their workers tested and shoulder the cost of the swab test.
Año also supported Romero’s call for hospitals to provide free regular swab tests to their health workers who cannot afford them.
"Our health workers are among our frontliners who are making a big sacrifice by caring for COVID patients and preventing people from contracting the virus," said Año.
"We should make sure that the number of our health workers would increase, not diminish by regularly subjecting them to swab tests," he concluded.