Bangladesh's COVID-19 testing criticised

17, November 2020 | Bangladesh

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Abstract

Public health experts in Bangladesh have expressed concern about the government’s decision to charge people for COVID-19 tests amid a sharp decline in the number of tests being done. In late June, the government decided to charge 200 taka (£1·80) for testing done at government facilities and 500 taka (£4·50) for samples collected from home to “avoid unnecessary tests”. The private sector charges 3500 taka (£32) per test. Almost one in four Bangladeshis live below the national poverty line. Since the decision, testing rates have fallen to around 0·8 tests per 1000 people per day, with a low of just 0·06 tests per 1000 people in August. Bangladesh is administering on average between 12000 and 15000 tests per day for a population of 168 million, and has recorded almost 275000 confirmed cases and more than 3600 deaths.