Malacañang on Tuesday urged laboratories making use of donated testing kits and machines to lower prices of Covid-19 testing.
“Ang panawagan po natin, napakadaming laboratories, gobyerno po ang nag-donate o kaya pribadong sektor ang nag-donate ng makina at mga test kits, ibaba ninyo po ang mga presyo,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque said.
Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte might sign an executive order to regulate the cost of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.
But for now, it would be up to the hospitals and laboratories to lower the prices, Roque said.
“Alam ko po may mga nagnanais sa inyo bagama’t non-profit kayo na kumita; huwag naman po. Ibigay na po natin sa taumbayan iyong benepisyo ‘pag kayo po’y nakatanggap ng libreng makina galing sa gobyerno at sa pribadong sektor o mga libreng mga testing kits,” he said.
“Iyon po talaga ang pangunahing pamamaraan para mapababa po ang halaga ng testing. Pero ‘antay din po tayo, naka-pilot na po ang pooled testing. ‘Pag napatupad na po natin ang wide scale pooled testing talaga pong bababa ang presyo,” he added.
In July, Roque hinted at the possibility of “pooled testing” becoming the new testing norm in the country.
Through “pooled testing,” the cost of RT-PCR tests would be reduced to P300 as a test kit could be used by at least 10 persons. John Ezekiel J. Hirro