Kerala HC Quashes State Govt Order To Reduce Price Of RT-PCR Tests In Private Labs From Rs 1,700 To Rs 500

The petitioner also said that the state government does not have any authority over fixing the price cap for RT-PCR tests in private labs.

Chennai: The Kerala High Court quashed a Kerala government order issued in May to reduce the cost of RT-PCR testing from Rs 1,700 to Rs 500 at private labs on Monday. The Court also told the Pinarayi-led government to hold consultations with private lab owners and then take a fresh decision.

According to a tweet on ANI, "Kerala High Court quashes State Govt's order, issued in May, that reduced charge of RT-PCR tests in private labs to Rs 500 from Rs 1,700."

The HC issued the order while hearing a petition moved by Accredited Molecular Testing Laboratories and Devi Scans (Pvt) Ltd. In the petition, the lab urged the Kerala HC to set aside the state government order issued in May. The petitioner also said that the state government does not have any authority over fixing the price cap for RT-PCR tests in private labs, said a report on Times Now. 

The petitioner said that reducing the cost of RT-PCR tests from Rs 1,500 to Rs 500 will not only lead to a loss for lab owners but will affect the quality of the tests.  

Meanwhile, the state government argued that Maharastra, Uttarakhand and Punjab were offering the same RT-PCR test in the range of Rs 400-550.

In May 2021, the then Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja fixed the price for RT-PCR tests at private labs from Rs 1,700 to Rs 500. She said the new rates were inclusive of the swab test, the PPE and test kits. The state health department fixed a price cap after prices were reduced for ICMR-approved kits. In October 2020, Kerala labs were charging Rs 2,750 per test for RT-PCR.