MAY 7 — The Government has made it mandatory for all foreign workers (except maids) working in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur to undergo a Covid-19 test. There are a number of unresolved issues that first need to be ironed out.

What is the real cost of conducting a test? There have been reports that the cost could range from as low as RM200 to as high as RM800? Why is there such a large discrepancy? What are the itemised costs? Profiteering during these trying times should be the last mind on the mind of the private hospitals.

Rather than let the private hospitals determine the price, the Government’s should step in. The ideal solution would be that there be consensus on a standard price or some sort of controlled price. I would urge the private hospitals — as part of their corporate social responsibility — to forgo profits in the overall interest of the health of the nation by agreeing to charge a nominal fee. The price of each test can be lowered considerably, if profits are set aside meaning that the fee charged will be actual cost of conducting the test.   

At all costs, rent seekers and middlemen should never be allowed to jump on this nascent band wagon.

Who should rightly bear the burden of conducting the tests? To have the employer to bear the entire costs will be too burdensome especially for small and medium scale industries (SMEs). I suggest that the costs be shared equally by the three parties — the employer, the employee and the Government.  The employee has a choice — pay a small fee and remain employed or continue remaining unemployed. Since the Government is in charge of the overall health of the nation, it is also their moral duty to help out and share the costs. So all three parties should agree to forking out one-third of the total cost.

Unless the tests are conducted in an expeditious manner, SMEs will not be able to begin their operations. They have already waited long enough during the MCO. Time is the essence. 

Do we have the required capacity to conduct the tests on the hundreds and thousands of foreigners within a reasonable period of time? Senior Minister (Infrastructure) Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof had said that employers need to ensure that all their foreign workers undergo the tests before they are allowed to start working. In this regard, the Government then has an obligation to ensure that the capacity of hospitals is fully expanded to cater for the increased demand. For instance the Armed Forces hospitals should be mobilised for this purpose.

Finally are the types of test being conducted by Ministry of Health (MOH) providing accurate results?  The Chinese health experts who were here to share their experiences in tackling Covid-19 recommended that Malaysia extend its testing of the disease using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method which they claim is more accurate. So far the MOH has not responded to this suggestion. Are we agreeable to this more thorough but slightly more expensive testing method?

We cannot afford to have ‘bad’ test results — one that gives a false negative result (when in fact it should have been positive). Rather than get immediate treatment, the person concerned (with a false sense of confidence) will continue to mingle with his co-workers and thereby spread the virus. Surely we don’t want this to happen?

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2020/05/07/unresolved-issue-of-covid-19-tests-pola-singh/1863865