VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Ministry of Health has said it will impose sanctions on health facilities and laboratories violating the price limit for polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

The sanctions will include the revocation of operational permits, the ministry's director general of health services, Prof. Abdul Kadir, said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

"If anyone does not comply with the policy, we will ask the health office to issue a warning. If it is disregarded, there will be sanctions such as the closure of laboratories and operational permits," he informed.

Kadir pointed out that the maximum price for RT-PCR tests has been lowered to Rp275 thousand for Java and Bali and Rp300 thousand for regions outside Java and Bali.

The results of the RT-PCR will be issued with a maximum span of 1x24 hours of taking the sample, he added.

The price cap for the RT-PCR test has been set through the Circular Letter of the Director General of Health Services No. HK.02.02/1/3843/2021 concerning the highest cost limit of RT-PCR. The regulation came into effect today.

Kadir said the Ministry of Health and the Government’s Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) had conducted a field investigation about the availability of consumables in the Indonesian market.

"As a result, the (tool kit of RT-PCR) is already available so there is no reason that hospitals would not perform PCR tests," he said.

The Health Ministry has also authorized district/city level health offices to supervise and instruct hospitals and PCR test laboratory managers.

"The local government will issue verbal and written warning as well as operational closures (if necessary)," he added.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo had requested that the price of the PCR test be lowered to Rp300 thousand given that it is now mandatory for air travel, a rule that has garnered a lot of criticism lately.

The President has also asked that the validity period of the test be extended, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil had informed.

"The President has directed that the PCR price can be lowered to Rp300 thousand and will be valid for 3 x 24 hours for plane trips," he highlighted. (Antaranews)