THE government must look into reducing the cost of RTK-Antigen and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for Covid-19 to make them affordable, health experts said.

The ministry also needs to look into the efficiency of RTK-Antigen test devices, which are prone to producing faulty results, they said.

Public health expert Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the current price of the RTK test kit, which is sold for between RM5 and RM20, is still too expensive.

“It is still quite expensive for ordinary households, especially those with many members,” he told The Malaysian Insight, adding that people will be selective when testing or only do it for really important events.

“This defeats the purpose of test, report, isolate, inform and seek (TRISS).”

In September last year, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi and Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that the ministry had set the ceiling price for self-test kits at RM19.90, while wholesale price was RM16.

However, self-test kits have been flying off the shelves in pharmacies in recent weeks with the Omicron wave pushing infections beyond 30,000 a day.

As of October last year, 49 Covid-19 self-test kits were given conditional approval by the Medical Device Authority.

Dr Tan Toh Leong, a senior lecturer and emergency physician at UKM, said the government should further reduce the price to encourage testing.

“Price does matter. The kits are quite pricey and now RTK has become a daily consumable product. It is something we need daily for the new norm,” he said, adding that people will be inclined to test less if the price remains high.

Besides which, Tan said the high transmissibility of Omicron, dining out without masks and the festive season are responsible for the surge in cases.

While RTK is the standard used by the ministry now, physicians have said there is still a need for the PCR test, but the price puts people off.

“The protocol now no longer needs absolute PCR; if RTK is positive, it is considered positive,” epidemiologist Dr Malina Osman said.

The RTK tests are known to return false negative results, leading many to question the effectiveness of the kits.

It is under these circumstances that the PCR test is needed, Malina said.

“In a situation where the RTK is negative but the person is symptomatic, the doctor would advise a PCR test.”

Following complaints about dubious test results from self-test kits, the Medical Device Authority has been asked to assess the current kits available for quality.

Private hospitals cannot reduce cost

Dr Kuljit Singh, a specialist from Prince Court Medical Centre, said it is not possible to further reduce the cost of PCR test.

“It’s not like RTK where it’s just saliva. It involves equipment and manpower. Somebody has to look at a graph and values, you cannot make an error.

“If they want to make it affordable, it won’t be viable, and the labs and hospitals won’t do it anymore,” he said.

In June last year, the Health Ministry capped the price of PCR tests at RM150, under the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021.

However, prices have risen since the end of the emergency on August 1.

A random check of hospitals in the Klang Valley showed that the cost of PCR tests ranges from RM250 to RM330.

Prince Court Medical Centre charges RM330, Columbia Asia RM290, Sunway Medical Centre RM270 and KJP Selangor RM250.

Kuljit said, as it stands, the private hospitals are hardly making any profits from the test.

“Most private hospitals have brought it down to a level where they make very small profit. Some may not even make any because they can make profit elsewhere.

“If it’s going to be controlled to a level that is not viable, they will stop doing it.”

Alternatively, the government can consider subsidising the cost of the PCR test to make it more accessible, Kuljit said.

“If the government can subsidise or do the test, then it’s no issue. This is the best way, like many countries in the world. A mass PCR in their facility in terms of cost benefit is more viable.

“The private sector won’t do it, not at a loss. At the end of the day, it’s a business.” – March 2, 2022.