The Competition Commission says with effect from Sunday consumers will no longer pay more than R500 for COVID-19 PCR tests. The figure includes VAT.
The Commission’s statement comes after it reached an agreement with two major laboratories Ampath and Lancet. Competition Commissioner Thembinkosi Bonakele has urged other laboratories to also lower their prices of the tests in line with the agreement.
Bonakele says consumers must report laboratories that are still charging consumers more than 500-rand for the tests.
He says their investigation revealed that the laboratories had realised a significant decline in the cost of conducting the tests but the prices for consumers had remained higher.
“We getting report that there are still labs charging R100 – we call on labs to comply with this settlement even if they are not part of – to offer a price of not more than E500 including vat. We will monitor this where necessary we will take stern action.”
Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele briefed the media on Sunday:
New agreement to see ‘substantial reduction’ in COVID-19 PCR test prices
Last month, the Commission said it had received a formal complaint from the Council for Medical Schemes against private pathology laboratories alleging that the cost of supplying PCR tests for COVID-19 was unfairly inflated, exorbitant and unjustifiable.
The Commission also says between September and October, it was alerted through a number of discussions, including with the Department of Health and healthcare funders, to a possible pricing abuse for COVID-19 PCR tests to the detriment of vulnerable consumers and customers.
It is alleged that private pathology laboratories have experienced substantial cost reductions in conducting COVID-19 PCR tests and were processing significant volumes.
However, the price charged by the private pathology laboratories for COVID-19 PCR tests remained persistently high and unchanged at R850.
