KUALA LUMPUR – Since the third wave of Covid-19 hit Malaysia in October last year, more and more people are willing to get tested even if they are asymptomatic or not close contacts.
Is Malaysia’s testing capacity currently enough to cater to the increasing demand, with four-digit cases recorded over the past few months, and in the event of a worst-case scenario?
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Prof Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the national laboratory capacity for both public and private laboratories is currently at 70,000 tests per day.
This means, if more than 70,000 tests are done in a day, the turnaround time is going to be delayed, he said.
“We should prioritise testing for high-risk groups and test certain communities for surveillance.
“Hence, we should start focusing on rapid antigen tests, which are fast and more cost-effective for rapid and mass screenings,” he told Bernama when contacted.
Dr Subramaniam added that although the Health Ministry had stated that it will not screen all close contacts but only those who are symptomatic, MMA feels that the ministry should revert to its earlier policy.
“Its earlier policy of tracing as many close contacts and testing all of them could ensure we stop any potential spread of Covid-19 infections in the community.
“If the government’s resources are stretched, it should engage the 7,000 trained Health Ministry general practitioners to assist them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in his press conference yesterday that the ministry is expected to increase the capacity of Covid-19 laboratories that can conduct the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (Rt-PCR) tests to between 100,000 and 150,000 tests per day.
“So far, we have 68 laboratories that carry out 70,000 Rt-PCR tests per day and the capacity of these laboratories will be enhanced. We will also increase (the volume of) Covid-19 screenings using the Antigen Rapid Test Kit (RTK-Ag),” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham added that Malaysia’s Rt-PCR testing capacity across 68 labs on Wednesday was 76,255 tests, but only 47,820 tests were conducted, or 63% of the testing capacity.
Apart from government-owned medical centres, there are now more than 1,000 private premises throughout Malaysia offering Rt-PCR or RTK-Ag swab tests.
According to covid-19.moh.gov.my, until yesterday, a total of 132 licensed private hospitals nationwide are allowed to conduct Covid-19 screenings within their premises.
Meanwhile, a total of 741 private medical clinics are registered to conduct outreach and on-site Covid-19 screenings, while a total of 816 clinics are allowed to do so in their premises only.
A total of 13 private ambulatory care centres are also allowed to perform screening tests within the premises, including Mahameru International Medical Centre Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur, Sievert Imaging Centre in Sabah, Anda Diagnostic Centre in Penang, and Sunway Specialist Centre Damansara in Selangor.
On fees, government hospitals are charging RM150 for Malaysians and RM250 (foreigners) for Rt-PCR, and RM60 (Malaysians) or RM120 (foreigners) for RTK-Ag.
However, government servants returning to Malaysia after performing official duties, Malaysians and foreigners who are suspected to be Covid-19 positive, and residents in enhanced movement control order areas are among the groups that have been exempted from paying for Covid-19 tests.
For private premises, the service fees vary. For example, Subang Jaya Medical Centre quotes RM295 for the Rt-PCR and accepts walk-ins, while selected KPJ private hospitals offer drive-thru and walk-in Rt-PCR tests for RM299 to RM388.
Pantai Hospital in Ampang is charging RM180 per person for RTK-Ag and RM250 for Rt-PCR while Pantai Hospital in Cheras charges RM260 for an Rt-PCR. Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s Rt-PCR test bears a price tag of RM480.
BP Diagnostic in Taiping and Sitiawan, Perak; Butterworth and George Town, Penang; Alor Star, Kedah; Bahau, Negri Sembilan; OUG, Kepong, Medan Tunku and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur; Kajang, Rawang, Seri Kembangan, Glenmarie and Taman SEA, Selangor; Skudai, Batu Pahat and Muar, Johor; Kuching, Sarawak; Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and Melaka, is charging RM240 for Rt-PCR. – Bernama, January 22, 2021
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