Despite a strict directive by Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne to lower the rates of dengue related medical tests, certain private hospitals are reportedly still charging exorbitant rates, according to complaints received by the Sunday Observer.
A leading private medical institution in Colombo had charged Rs. 2,100 for the Dengue Antigen Test and Rs. 560 for the Full Blood Count from a distraught father who took his young son for the blood tests a few days ago. The directive by the Health Minister became effective on June 19.
The father had the tests done on July 8. He said, he had been engrossed in his son’s medical condition at the time to realise that he had been overcharged.
Threatened with the country’s worst ever dengue outbreak, with nearly 100,000 patients and over 300 deaths up to date, private hospitals were asked by the Minister to charge Rs. 250 for a Full Blood Count and Rs.1,000 for a Dengue Antigen Test, until further notice.