UGANDAN GOVERNMENT STEPS IN TO HALT PROFITEERING FROM COVID19 TESTS
(Posted 27th October 2020)
As Ugandans begin to travel again has the reality of the sudden added cost sunk in and complaints about the high cost of COVID19 testing began to emerge on social and in mainstream media.
ATCNews had already weeks ago highlighted the issue and the, following a Tweet, prompted an official from the Ministry of Health to promise an investigation and follow up.
https://atcnews.org/2020/09/26/ugandan-travelers-in-for-a-cost-shock-when-borders-reopen/
Good to his word has this obviously now happened, resulting in the cost of a test at a designated laboratory to be reduced to 50 US Dollars.
Tests taken at other facilities like hospitals and private clinics – which in turn then send the samples to a designated laboratory – are likely to remain higher however as they build in a significant profit margin.
Travelers now have a choice to opt for either way of testing, and those with limited budgets will have the choice where to go.
Meanwhile has national airline Uganda Airlines also published a comprehensive list of testing facilities at locations where they are presently flying to and this initiative must be highly applauded as travelers with Uganda Airlines will have this important information at hand when traveling to Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi and notably Tanzania, where test centres exist in a country which claims there is no COVID19 at all.
Happy Landings!
