BSS-27 Govt. reduces COVID-19 sample test fee: Maleque

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ZCZC

BSS-27

COVID-19-TEST-FEE

Govt. reduces COVID-19 sample test fee: Maleque

DHAKA, August 19, 2020 (BSS) – Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque

today said the government has taken decision to reduce COVID-19 sample test fee

for the convenience of common people in the country.

“At the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we have re-fixed Taka 100

instead of Taka 200 and Taka 300 instead of Taka 500 for COVID-19 sample tests

at government-run testing facilities,” he told at a press briefing in the

conference room of the ministry, an official release said.

Maleque said earlier the government has fixed Taka 200 as sample collection fee

at the designated government hospitals and healthcare centers while it fixed

Taka 500 for sample collection from home.

The government has decreased the sample collection fee to make testing

facilities available for all levels of people to contain the pandemic, he added.

Maleque said the government has introduced telemedicine services to provide

treatment facilities to the COVID-19 patients and recovery rate from the deadly

disease is gradually increasing due to multiple healthcare measures taken by

relevant organizations of the health ministry.

He said many countries including the UK and China are in the final stage for

developing COVID-19 vaccine. “The government is constantly overseeing global

development on COVID-19 vaccine… it is keeping connections with those countries,

who are performing phase-3 human trial on invention of inoculation,” the

minister said.

He also said Bangladesh would be able to collect the coronavirus vaccine within

the shortest possible time from the countries, which are frontrunners in vaccine

development.

BSS/PR/MMR/ARS/1807 hrs