The Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has taken steps to prevent private healthcare institutions from overcharging consumers for dengue NS1 and Complete Blood Count (CBC) tests.
In response to warnings from experts and authorities of a probable spike in dengue cases in the coming months, the IHRA has set a maximum fee of Rs. 1,800 for the NS1 test and Rs. 100 for the CBC test.
The IHRA urged all private hospitals, labs, and collecting centers to comply with these limits until 31 December 2023, in an official notification released on Wednesday.
The notification further stipulated that any laboratory performing the NS1 test for dengue must declare the brand and model of the machine used for the test, the reagents/kits utilized, and the particular batch number of the test.
IHRA mandates all private hospitals, laboratories, and collection centers to publish their dengue test rates to verify compliance, and patients are encouraged to submit any complaints to the IHRA.
Inspection teams will also be monitoring the labs doing these tests, and any violations may result in penalties, sealing, revocation of registration, or even jail.
IHRA’s CEO, Dr. Quaid Saeed, stressed that these directions be immediately implemented and disseminated to all necessary parties, including district administration.
Stay Connected with ProPakistani
Get the latest news and stories wherever you prefer.
Add ProPakistani to Preferred Sources and see more of our stories in Google Search and Top Stories.
