TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hospitals and clinics have started to offer lower prices for PCR tests after the Indonesian Health Ministry officially set an upper cost ceiling for Covid-19 PCR tests at Rp495,000 across Java and Bali, while regions outside of the two islands are capped at Rp 525,000.

Siloam is one of many hospitals in the country that has adapted to the official state regulation as it announced to reduce the price of PCR tests as of Thursday, August 18, and promised results would be accessible within 24 hours.

A similar move can be seen by the Pelni Hospital in West Jakarta. Through the HaloDoc app, the hospital has lowered PCR test prices with results within one work day for Rp490,000.

The Helix Laboratory, which has numerous branch offices, has also set a new lower price of Rp495,000 but offers a separate ‘same day result service’ for Rp795,000.

Meanwhile, the Bumame Farmasi in its website announced they are offering its 1x24 hour PCR test for Rp495,000 but also offers services with quicker results but at a higher cost such as its 10-hour PCR result service costing up to Rp900,000.

Reported on Sunday, the President instructed the Health Ministry to set the price ceiling for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at Rp550,000.

“I have talked about it with the health minister. I asked (him) to set the price of the PCR test within the range of Rp450,000 to Rp550,000,” the President said via the Presidential Secretariat’s Youtube channel in Jakarta on Sunday.

Read: PCR Tests in 2 Angkasa Pura II Airports Capped at Rp495,000

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