Dubai - The reduced price will apply only to DHA primary healthcare centres, hospitals, clinics and screening centres.
Published: Tue 29 Sep 2020, 12:00 AM
Updated: Wed 30 Sep 2020, 4:51 PM
Prices of PCR Covid-19 tests at all Dubai Health Authority (DHA) facilities have been slashed to Dh150, it was announced on Tuesday.
The reduced price will apply only to DHA primary healthcare centres, hospitals, clinics and screening centres. At private hospitals and clinics, the cost of PCR tests is still capped at Dh250, the authority said.
The move comes as part of the DHA's efforts to make Covid-19 screening more accessible and encourage more residents to get tested.
It was the second time Dubai had cut the price of PCR tests. These used to cost Dh370 in the emirate until it was slashed to Dh250 for both public and private clinics and hospitals on September 13.
Abu Dhabi also reduced its PCR test prices recently. From Dh250, tests are now available for Dh180 at hospitals in the Capital, as directed by the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi. The directive also covered screening centres under the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which were earlier charging Dh250. The test remains free of charge for those suspected to have contracted the virus and others who are classified under vulnerable groups.
PCR tests - or polymerase chain reaction tests - are generally seen as the most accurate method of detecting the virus. With a nasal swab taken from a person, PCR tests look for traces of the virus in a sample to determine a positive or a negative result.
saman@khaleejtimes.com
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