Govt plans free Covid tests in north

The government is planning to waive coronavirus testing fee in the northern districts so that more people are tested during the ongoing surge in positivity rates, which are especially high in those regions.

Officials said instructions were given in this regard to get the real picture of the transmission in the northern districts.

On Saturday, the health ministry in a meeting with divisional and district administrative officials, including civil surgeons of Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Chattogram and Sylhet devised the strategy to encourage people to do Covid-19 tests.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) daily bulletin, the daily Covid-19 positivity rate in Rajshahi division was over 25 percent while it was over 23 percent in Rangpur division yesterday. The countrywide positivity rate yesterday was 11.47 percent.

"Northern divisions and districts officials said as there is a large number of low-income people in that region, people are reluctant to do the test. If the cost of the Covid test is waived, people will be encouraged.

"We are planning to waive the test fee for those highly infected districts for a certain period," Health Minister Zahid Maleque told The Daily Star on Sunday.

"If we test 10 and find five positive cases, it means the positivity rate is 50 percent. This does not reflect the real picture. So, the meeting decided to stress on increasing the number of tests," the minister said, adding that there is no alternative to increasing testing.

"The more people are tested, the clearer the picture we will get."

He also said as transport workers move across the country, a designated place would be fixed for their tests and in that case antigen rapid tests will be done.

Civil Surgeon of Rajshahi Quiume Talukder told The Daily Star that the situation in the division is alarming and that is why they requested the health minister to waive the test fee.

"The minister assured us of waiving it and hoped that the decision will come soon," he said.

Lalmonirhat district civil surgeon Nirmalendu Roy said testing is very important to detect cases early, adding that free testing would encourage the financially insolvent people of this region to undergo tests.

"Now we need to do more test. If the test is made free for the suspected cases, we can detect the cases early and can cut the transmission," said Nirmalendu Roy, adding that the positivity rate has been rising in Nilphamari since May 31 and it now stands at around 20 percent.

The Covid-19 testing was initially free for all at government hospitals when the deadly disease hit the country in March last year.

But on June 29 last year, the government imposed a fee to "avoid unnecessary tests and ensure better management".

Amid criticism from various quarters, the government later reduced the fee.

Currently, a Covid-19 test in government-designated booth costs Tk 100 while it is Tk 300 if the sample is collected from home. Both prices are subsidised by the government.