RT-PCR test to cost only Rs.850 in Telangana

The State government on Wednesday has slashed testing costs from Rs 2,200 to Rs.850. The cost of conducting RT-PCR tests through home visits has also been slashed from Rs. 2,600 to Rs. 1,200, according to Director of Public Health (DPH), Dr G Srinivasa Rao.

The price cap of Rs. 850 for a single RT-PCR test in Telangana could be the lowest in the country followed by Maharashtra, which had recently slashed the charges from Rs. 1200 to Rs. 980. Recently, Haryana had reduced RT-PCR test from Rs. 2,200 to Rs. 1200 while in Uttar Pradesh, the cost of a single test is Rs. 1,600. In Karnataka, the



cost of an RT-PCR test is Rs. 1,500 while in Kerala, the cost continues to remain Rs. 2,100.

“The cost of RT-PCR tests have been slashed. However, we urge the general public to get themselves tested at their nearest Government hospital where we are offering the test free of cost,” Dr. Srinivasa Rao said.

To discourage private hospitals and laboratories from charging Covid-19 tests at inflated prices, in June, for the first time the State government had announced capping of prices to conduct a single RT-PCR test at Rs. 2,200.