PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Dehradun Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma said that the severe measures will be enforced against individuals who charge above the authorised rates for dengue testing. It is pertinent to mention here that so far 31 cases persons have tested positive for dengue in Dehradun district alone.
He said that whileduring a recent meeting with representatives of the district’s blood banks and private ang government pathology laboratories, it was mandated that the maximum rates for dengue tests should be displayed in the waiting areas and billing counters of private hospitals and labs. Further, it was instructed that only patients exhibiting symptoms of dengue should undergo testing and unnecessary tests are to be avoided.
He further stated that the Health department has set the rates for dengue tests, which include the following: the Dengue ELISA test for Rs 1,100 at NABL-accredited labs and Rs 1,000 at non-NABL labs. The price for the rapid test (NS1) is Rs 500, while the Dengue rapid test (NS1 + IgG + IgM combo test) costs Rs 800.
In addition, he said that during the meeting, there was a discussion regarding other tests conducted by private labs, for which the rates have not yet been determined. He said that within two to three days, discussions will take place with the administration of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC). Consequently, the rats will be fixed for these additional tests.
He also said that there are two types of platelet bags: the Random Donor Platelet (RDP) bag and the jumbo bag. The price for the jumbo platelet bag has been set at Rs 12,000, but there is still some confusion regarding the pricing of the RDP bag. This will be resolved soon and until the RDP bag price is fixed, the previous rate will remain in effect.
