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Malacanang said on Monday that the national government may reconsider the pricing range for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kits for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in order to make them more accessible.

Acting presidential spokesperson Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the remark in response to worries that some laboratories and hospitals are converting RT-PCR testing into a for-profit enterprise.

“Perhaps we can re-evaluate the prices now that we’ve gone through that cycle of setting those caps on the RT-PCR,” says the researcher. So maybe it’s something we can look into again or something the [Department of Health] can look into again,” he remarked on ABS-CBN News Channel’s Headstart.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 118 on November 4 of last year, directing the Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry to develop and implement a price range for RT-PCR testing.

RT-PCR tests are now priced at PHP3,800 for public laboratories/hospitals and PHP4,500 to PHP5,000 for private laboratories, including all costs.

For the first offense, violators will face a 15-day suspension of their license to operate as a Covid-19 testing laboratory, as well as a fine of PHP20,000.

The punishment is a 30-day suspension and a PHP30,000 fine for the second offense, and termination of the license-to-operate for the third crime.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) presently offers benefit package rates for RT-PCR testing, according to Nograles.

“Iyong RT-PCR ng PhilHealth naman naman naman naman naman naman naman naman na (The RT-PCR is covered by PhilHealth). “Obviously, if you’re in the hospital and then get swabbed, that’s covered by PhilHealth,” he said.

Meanwhile, he promised that as soon as new Covid-19 tests become available on the market, the national government will purchase them.

“Obviously, if technology improves and we can have access to that technology for here, for the Philippines, we will do it,” he continued.

According to the Department of Health, RT-PCR testing is still the gold standard for finding the virus that causes Covid-19 (DOH).

Saliva and antigen testing are two more diagnostic techniques utilized in various nations.

As of Sunday, 4,600 more Covid-19 instances had been reported, increasing the total number of cases to 2,851,931.

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