The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Health Diana Atwine has written to all government sectors announcing the decrease of prices of COVID-19 tests from $65 to $50.
Ms Atwine in her letter indicated that the reduction of prices is attributed to resumption of international flights at Entebbe Airport.
In her letter dated October 23, titled “Reduction in the cost of covid-19 tests from us $65 (ugx240,500) to us $50 (ugx 185,000” Atwine said:
“I would like to inform you that the cost of transporting Laboratory testing kits and other supplies from the point of manufacture to the country has reduced due to resumption of international flights.”
She added, “it is upon this background that the Ministry of Health has reduced the cost of COVID-19 testing from US $65 (UGX 240,500) to US$50 (UGX 185,000) for people seeking testing services in Government Laboratories including truck drivers at the different Points of Entry; individuals seeking to know their COVID-19 status; people seeking COVID-19 certificates for international travel; organizations (both Government and private) that wish to test their staff for purposes of prevention; Ugandans and visitors from abroad without negative COVID-19 certificates.”
She maintained that government will continue to offer free testing services to patients who present to Health facilities with COVID-19 symptoms, contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID- 19, community surveys to establish the extent of spread of the virus, surveillance samples and Frontline Healthcare workers.