Free COVID-19 testing only for poor: Supreme Court

New Delhi, Apr 13: The Supreme Court on Monday observed that free COVID-19 testing should be allowed only for poor, leaving the central government to decide who else should get the benefit.

The top court modified its April 8 order which directed that the testing for COVID-19 should be done for the distress of case in government and private laboratories.

Private laboratories can continue to charge the testing fee as fixed by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the country's nodal body for coronavirus testing, the court said.

"Persons eligible under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana as already implemented by the Government of India, and any other category of economically weaker sections of the society as notified by the Government," the top court said in its order.

The apex court further said that the Centre and the health ministry can decide whether "any other categories of the weaker sections", like workers belonging to low income groups in the informal sectors or beneficiaries of Direct Benefit Transfer and others should be eligible.

The government should make this decision within a week and inform the court, the judges said.

The Centre has allowed private laboratories to charge patients up to Rs 4,500 per test.

On April 8, the court had ordered free testing for COVID-19, calling it a humanitarian issue.

But most private laboratories objected, saying even under the government-mandated charge of Rs 4,500, they are barely able to recover the costs, which include specific infrastructure, reagents, consumables and manpower.