Mamata Banerjee Reduces Cost Of RT-PCR Test

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that the cost of RT-PCR tests has been capped but still expensive for detecting COVID-19, further reduced to Rs 950 from Rs1,250

Mamata Banerjee has for the second time reduced the cost of reliable but expensive RT-PCR tests, in West Bengal's private laboratories, from  Rs1,250 to  Rs 950. In October, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had not only reduced RT-PCR test cost from Rs.  2,250, but also reduced cost of private ambulance service amid reports of patients being charged exorbitant rates even for short distances.

West Bengal has been seeing a rise in coronavirus cases and deaths due to Covid since September, with a record 4,000 cases on October 22. The state has since consistently between 3,000-3,500 cases because of covie-19. Covid death rate has also remained higher than the national average of about 1.5 per cent. The state has so far recorded 4.9 lakh COVID-19 cases with 8,527 deaths during the pandemic.