Covid-19: Cost of PCR test in Abu Dhabi remains unchanged at Dh65, says Seha

Dubai - An official looking circular about 'revised' PCR test costs has been doing the rounds on social media.

By Staff Report

Published: Wed 16 Jun 2021, 1:26 PM

Last updated: Wed 16 Jun 2021, 3:50 PM

The cost of getting a PCR test in Abu Dhabi remains Dh65.

The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) took to Twitter to confirm that the rate remains “consistent across its network of screening facilities”.

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“Should any changes be applied in the future, they will be communicated via Seha’s official channels,” the authority tweeted.

Since last night, an official looking circular about “revised” PCR test costs has been doing the rounds on social media.

The document, which claimed to be an official updated list for the cost of Covid-19 tests at various screening centres across the country, showed that the price of PCR tests in Abu Dhabi had been increased to Dh85, while DPI tests remained at Dh50.

The fake list which circulated on social media also showed that the cost of PCR tests at some screening centres in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman had been reduced to Dh85.

Authorities have called on residents to disregard the document, stressing that it is fake.

The UAE Public Prosecution has consistently warned that spreading fake information and rumours is a crime punishable by the UAE law.

“Whoever deliberately spreads false news, fake information or rumours, or circulates provocative propaganda that would disturb public security or cause alarm among people, or harm the public interest, shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of not less than a year in accordance with Article 198 of the Federal Penal Code,” prosecutors said earlier.

Initially, the cost of PCR tests at Seha facilities was Dh370. However, the authority reduced the cost of test to Dh250 in September 2020.

In March this year, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) further slashed the cost of the tests at all public and private facilities to Dh65.

The demand for RT-PCR tests in Abu Dhabi has gone up, after authorities rolled out the Al Hosn ‘Green Pass’ protocol on June 15 as the latest measure to tackle the pandemic.

The new protocol requires residents and visitors aged 16 and above to show a green pass on the Al Hosn app in order to enter several public places.

The green pass is one of three colour codes that will be reflected on your Alhosn app based on your Covid-19 vaccination status and PCR test result. The other two colours are grey (PCR validity has ended); and red (PCR test result is positive).

Last week, a member of the Federal National Council (FNC), Hamad Ahmed Al Rahoumi, proposed the provision of more free Covid-19 tests, which health insurance firms could cover to save residents from spending money on routine screenings.

“The Covid-19 PCR tests have become a basic requirement for all people in the country. Residents must present a negative Covid result to access government offices, events, schools and other places, making families spend huge sums of money on the regular screenings monthly,” Al Rahoumi said during the FNC meeting.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com