The announcement on the ceiling price for the RTK Antigen COVID-19 Self Test Kit is a recommendable step taken by the government to encourage people to test themselves. However, even with the given price of RM19.90 per test kit and RM16 for bulk buy, the price is quite expensive, especially for individuals who need to do the test regularly. It might not be expensive for individuals in the T20 and M40 groups, but it is definitely a hefty amount for those in the B40 group.
The announcement on the ceiling price was also made unilaterally by KPDNHEP and KKM without prior consultation with the relevant stakeholders. This surely will bring a detrimental impact to the providing parties.
I believe that the government has the full capacity and capability to subsidize these test kits. If the government can buy vaccines for everyone in Malaysia, we can also do the same thing for these test kits. For instance, the government of the United Kingdom has provided twice weekly free test kits for those who reside in the country. This initiative was seen as a proactive measure for them as the lockdown measures are easing up. With a lot of sectors opening up slowly in Malaysia, the government should definitely emulate a similar initiative to ensure that our citizens can do regular COVID-19 testings.
In addition, should we start normalizing regular self-testing, this will also help us in our “identify and isolate” method. There is an urgent need for us to break the transmission chain, especially with the rise of new COVID-19 variants.