The price of commercial tests for coronavirus remains 200 BAM for now, because the input parameters currently do not allow us a lower price, Branislav Zeljkovic, director of Republika Srpska Institute of Public Health, told “Nezavisne”.
“The reduction of the price of commercial testing depends on the input parameters, for us the value of the tests themselves dictates the largest part of the price of commercial testing,” said Zeljkovic adding that this Institute reviews the prices of tests on a weekly basis, but that the current input parameters are such that they do not allow cheaper commercial testing.
“The interest of citizens for this type of testing is great, we hope that through new procurement of tests we will be able to lower the price of commercial testing, and in that way meet the needs of citizens,” said Zeljkovic.
Countries in our region and Europe are lowering the prices of commercial PCR tests in order to make it easier for citizens to check their health, but also travel, while the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not yet considering any reductions.
PCR test in the Federation of BiH entity currently costs 215 BAM and in Republika Srpska, 200 BAM, Klix.ba news portal reports.
BiH citizens can be tested in public and private institutions, but only a negative PCR test from one of the laboratories authorized for these tests is recognized for crossing the border, namely at the Laboratory for Molecular Genetic and Forensic Research of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Sarajevo, the Institute of Public Health of the RS, the University Clinical Hospital Mostar, the Clinical Center in Tuzla and the Cantonal Hospital Zenica.
PCR testing is also possible in several private clinics in BiH at a cost of approximately 230 BAM. At the same time, there is no talk of lowering prices in BiH.
Assistant Federal Minister of Health Goran Cerkez could not tell more about this topic since this issue was not on the “agenda” of the Crisis Staff of the Federal Ministry of Health.
“We are not discussing it. The price is as it is now, and it all depends on where the tests are obtained from,” Cerkez told Klix.ba briefly.
Muhamed Smajlovic, dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Sarajevo, who actually procures commercial PCR tests, told Klix.ba that everything depends on the Federal Ministry of Health of BiH.
“If they decide that the price should be lowered, we will lower it,” Smajlovic commented.
On the other hand, already in neighboring Croatia a few days ago, the price of the PCR test was lowered to approximately 500 kuna, or 130 BAM for two target sequences, and 698 kuna or 181 BAM for three target sequences.
Croatian Minister of Health Vili Beroš said that there is a possibility that other even cheaper PCR tests will appear on the market, but that the authorities must not neglect the relevance and quality of testing.
“Our task is to enable testing with those tests that are relevant, which have the best ratio of price and diagnostic accuracy,” Beros said a few days ago.
Commercial PCR testing is significantly cheaper in Serbia than in BiH, and amounts to between 6,000 and 8,200 dinars, or between 100 and 135 BAM.
