The Ministry of Health has put in place a fee for coronavirus testing services with effect from September 2020.
The #coronavirus recovery fee will cost UGX 240,500 per test for certain categories of individuals and organizations.
This comes after several requests from organizations and companies that were seeking to have their staff tested.
It has become difficult to sustain free testing due to the inadequate stock of test kits and resource constraints in the country. Ministry of Health said in a letter dated August 27, 2020.
“In view of the above fact, therefore, the government would like to introduce a testing fee of UGX 240,500 per test for certain categories of individuals and organizations,” reads the statement.
“This is a cost-recovery mechanism that will enable the Ministry of Health to acquire more test kits for continued access to testing services in the country.'' It added.
According to Geoffrey Sseremba on behalf of the permanent secretary, the #coronavirus testing fee collection account has been opened in Stanbic Bank where payments will be made.
The money will be paid under account name; MOH COVID-19 TESTING FUNDS and account number 9030017657983.
Sseremba added that the government will continue free coronavirus testing services to patients who present to health facilities with COVID-19 symptoms.
Also contacts of people who tested positive for COVID-19, community surveys to establish the extent of the spread, surveillance samples and Frontline health workers.
Truck drivers, individuals seeking to know their COVID-19 status, organizations who wish to test their staff, Ugandans returning from abroad and visitors arriving in the country all will be charged.
At the time of releasing the statement, the country had recorded 2500 cases of Covid-19 infections out of more than 350,000 samples tested, giving an infection rate of less than 1%.
“It has observed that the infection rate has sharply increased in recent times due to the community spread of the virus,” reads the statement in part.
Uganda has so far registered 2982 cases of #coronavirus infections, 30 deaths, and 1288 recoveries.
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