Voluntary Covid-19 testing: Meeting people's legitimate needs

Tests are available for a fee.

For over a week now, every day the Nghe An Center for Disease Control (CDC) has welcomed about 40-50 people coming to do the test.Covid-19 teston a voluntary basis, with a fee. These people are divided into 3 groups, including: People preparing to leave the country to work abroad; people preparing to go to localities that require negative Covid-19 test results; people preparing to return to work in factories and enterprises that require negative Covid-19 test results...

People register for voluntary, paid Covid-19 testing at Nghe An CDC. Photo: Thai Minh

Similarly, Ms. Bui Thi Hoa, 26 years old in Nam Dan district, who is preparing to return to work in an industrial park in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “Given the risk of the epidemic, the company director has required employees to be “clean” of Covid-19 when returning to protect the company and ensure production. When returning, employees will submit the results and invoices for Covid-19 testing costs to their superiors and will receive partial financial support. Testing at CDC Nghe An is very quick, I personally did not encounter any difficulties or obstacles.”

Nghe An CDC staff take Covid-19 test samples for people in need. Photo: Thai Minh

The implementation of voluntary, fee-based SARS-CoV-2 screening tests at CDC Nghe An is currently carried out according to the policy of the People's Committee of Nghe An province.

Specifically: On February 20, Nghe An Department of Health issued Official Dispatch No. 552 "On implementing voluntary, fee-based SARS-CoV-2 screening tests" to Nghe An Provincial Center for Disease Control. The dispatch clearly stated: "Nghe An Provincial Center for Disease Control, address 140, Le Hong Phong Street, Vinh City (a unit licensed under Decision No. 1027/QD-VSDTTU dated August 18, 2020 of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology) is allowed to implement voluntary, fee-based SARS-CoV-2 screening tests for those in need.

The price for testing services is implemented according to Official Dispatch No. 5834/BYT-KH-TC dated October 27, 2020 on temporary guidance on payment of Covid-19 testing costs for those in need, specifically: Real-time PCR bacterial/viral/fungal/parasitic testing service for cases of testing using the Real-time PCR method: VND 734,000/1 test sample. (This price is applied until the Ministry of Health has new instructions)... Revenue from voluntary testing services is used to pay for related costs for testing implementation and must be monitored and managed in the unit's accounting books in accordance with current regulations. The unit must provide financial invoices to those in need of testing".

Increase the effectiveness of disease prevention and control

Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh - Director of CDC Nghe An shared: During a long period of implementing Covid-19 prevention and control, our State has fully ensured resources for testing and monitoring the epidemic from consumables, human resources to gasoline for transporting samples, operating costs for the anti-epidemic and testing forces. However, due to the prolonged epidemic, the resources for epidemic prevention and control are very large, the State has gradually implemented different directions to ensure this work such as paying for Covid-19 testing from the health insurance fund, or voluntary testing with fees.

Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh said: SARS-CoV-2 screening tests are voluntary and chargeable, not 100% charged, but should be understood as people paying jointly. Photo: Thanh Hoa

SARS-CoV-2 screening tests are voluntary and charge a fee, not 100% of the fee, but should be understood as people paying for it. In fact, Nghe An province has partially funded this form of testing. The fee of 734,000 VND/test sample that people actually pay is only enough for some biological products and consumables. Meanwhile, to make up the actual price for each test sample, we must also take into account depreciation of the machine, labor costs, electricity and water, etc.

Covid-19 test results will be returned within the day. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Currently, Nghe An has been doing a good job of planning, forecasting and purchasing enough biological products and consumables for testing, responding to all epidemic situations. With the current flow of people voluntarily testing, it does not affect the general anti-epidemic testing. However, when a widespread epidemic situation occurs, voluntary testing will have to be temporarily suspended to prioritize people at risk of exposure, with the potential to spread to the community.

To reduce the load and increase the effectiveness of anti-epidemic activities, the Department of Health is currently directing units with sufficient testing capacity in the province (Nghe An General Hospital, Nghe An Oncology Hospital, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Quang Khoi General Hospital, Cua Dong General Hospital) to complete the procedural documents and submit them to the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for appraisal and licensing to perform confirmatory testing. Expanding the confirmatory testing facilities will help units expand medical examination and treatment services, as well as help reduce the load on Nghe An CDC.

“While waiting for the units authorized to conduct testing to confirm, Nghe An CDC needs to continue to do a good job of voluntary testing with fees, as well as doing a good job of screening, tracing, monitoring, and testing cases at risk of bringing the epidemic into the area, in order to increase safety against the epidemic, while developing the economy. In the coming time, the provincial CDC can also study to conduct testing services according to people's requests,” Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung requested during his visit and work on February 23 at the unit./.