Fix uniform rate for COVID test: Supreme Court to Centre

New Delhi

The remarks were made by an apex court bench, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, while hearing a suo motu case related to mismanagement of COVID-19, patient care, and manhandling of dead bodies. “There should be uniformity in COVID test fee. In some states it is Rs 2,200 and in some it is Rs 4,500. We will not fix rate, you fix a rate,” the bench told the Centre.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta submitted that it was better to allow states a free hand as some were discussing even lower charges for the test. “You fix upper limit. States will do rest,” Justice Bhushan said. The case will be next heard in the third week of July. The apex court on 12 June had issued notice to Centre and Maharashtra, WB, TN, Gujarat and Delhi directing them to take of the system of patient management and submit a detailed report.