Singapore — On Nov 1, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Louis Ng (Sengkang GRC) posed a question in Parliament to the Minister for Health whether steps would be taken to make antigen rapid test (ART) kits more affordable.
In a virtual press conference on Nov 15, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that new and less costly ART kits would soon be made available, costing under $10 and possibly even less than $5.
Mr Chua pointed out in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Nov 16) that Singaporeans have been encouraged to perform self-tests regularly “to instil a culture of responsibility in administering regular self-tests – which I agree is important in the ‘new normal’.”
He pointed out, however, that the number of test kits each household receives—six so far and ten more next month—would be inadequate for the needs of an average household size of 3 to 4 people.
Mr Chua further underlined the difference between the cost of the kits in Germany (S$1.50) and Malaysia (S$2.24) in comparison to how much they are in Singapore, where they can cost as much as $13 for one kit.
“Buying in larger quantities would mean a discounted price of about $8.20 each based on the lowest available price – which is still not cheap and just about the equivalent to the cost of both lunch and dinner at the coffeeshop!” he added.
Mr Chua wrote that he asked the Minister for Health on Nov 1 if the Government would consider “establishing a bulk purchase programme” as this would allow families requiring more ARTkits to buy them at less expensive prices instead of from retail pharmacies and stores.
In his reply to Mr Chua, Mr Ong wrote that both MOH and commercial retailers are already buying ART kits in bulk to ensure a steady supply.
He added that MOH has taken steps to make the kits more available and affordable to the public.
Mr Ong said at the Nov 15 press conference that there have been many individuals who have asked for less costly ART kits. He said that MOH “has recognised this and has been working with the HSA (Health Sciences Authority) to introduce more good quality and affordable ART self-test kits in Singapore.”
One of the kits is called Flowflex, already available in the United States and Britain, which was approved under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) for self-test use last week, he added.
Additionally, two other ART kits have been approved under the PSAR.
The MOH said these kits would be significantly less expensive than those that are available at present, and Mr Ong said he hopes they’ll be priced at under $5. /TISG
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