17 March 2020 – Government sets COVID-19 test fees

This item is sourced from the CCCSL: CSH Covid-19 Control Strategies List co-ordinated by the Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Austria. We are in the process of gathering further information and aligning taxonomies for these items.

Intervention Categories: Education and awareness; Finance policy and financial aid; Financial aid to health services
Level of Jurisdiction: National

Overview: The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) will issue a fee for coronavirus exams (COVID-19) to be carried out by certified private laboratories, as announced by the Minister of Government, María Paula Romo, during the virtual press conference held in the afternoon this Tuesday, March 17.

In this framework, he specified that people who comply with the medical protocol regarding this disease will undergo the exams free of charge. The prices, as well as the endorsed laboratories, will be announced in the next few hours. However, he advanced that if the test is ordered by an MSP doctor, its value will not exceed USD 80; while, if a private doctor asks for it, his ceiling will be USD 120. In this sense, he emphasized that nobody should go on their own initiative to carry out the test. This should be ordered by a doctor and addressed to anyone who presents the symptoms or has suspected contagion.
Full details here: https://www.comunicacion.gob.ec/el-gobierno-establecera-tarifario-para-laboratorios-que-efectuen-la-prueba-de-coronavirus/