Karnataka fixes ₹300 price cap on dengue tests under Epidemic Diseases Act

Amid a surge in dengue cases in Karnataka, the State government on Wednesday fixed a price cap of ₹300 each on Dengue Elisa NS1 antigen and Dengue Elisa IgM antibody tests in private hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. For a rapid card screening test (NS1, IgM and IgG antibodies), the government has fixed a price of ₹250. 

Amid a surge in dengue cases in Karnataka, the State government on Wednesday fixed a price cap of ₹300 each on Dengue Elisa NS1 antigen and Dengue Elisa IgM antibody tests in private hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. For a rapid card screening test (NS1, IgM and IgG antibodies), the government has fixed a price of ₹250. 

Currently, the cost of diagnostic tests in private hospitals ranges from ₹750 to ₹1,500.

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa) is an immunological assay commonly used to measure antibodies, antigens, proteins and glycoproteins in biological samples. The rates have been fixed under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, and a Government Order on the price cap was issued on Wednesday.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who held a coordination meeting to chalk out dengue control measures with officials from BBMP, Health, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) departments on Tuesday, had said a notification on the price cap will be issued on Wednesday.

Following this, a rate fixation committee was set up and the committee held a meeting with representatives of private hospitals and diagnostic laboratories on Wednesday. The committee recommended a price cap of ₹300 each for Elisa NS1 test and Elisa IgM test and ₹250 for a rapid test.

Dengue has been on the rise in the State with 6,390 cases and six deaths reported this year so far.