The local authorities will not regulate the retail price of the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits that have been authorized for sale at pharmacies, the director of the Health Bureau (SSM), Alvis Lo, said during a press briefing organized by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center on Sunday.
In response to a question from the media, the director of the SSM said that the government will not interfere in the retail price of the tests since they are sold on the private market and therefore the vendor is at liberty to establish the retail price.
“Pharmacies are part of the private sector so they can sell the products for the price that they think is best. We will not enforce any mandatory sale price for this kind of product,” Lo said, adding, “We are inspecting the sales of the [RAT] kits in the pharmacies just to ensure that there is no stock rupture and also to see that the selling prices are reasonable.”
Appealing to the public not to hoard test kits, considering that the government has been supplying mandatory tests free of charge, Lo said that there is no advantage in stockpiling the tests, because they have a short lifecycle and cannot be stored for long periods.
Admitting that the government had no regulatory power to prevent either stockpiling or price gouging, Lo said that, nonetheless, the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau and the Consumer Council will monitor the situation closely.
Questioned about the companies that are demanding that their employees take daily RATs at their own expense in order to work, Lo said, “The government is distributing some [for those positions which we think require them] but I can’t ensure that we can supply enough for all the positions [for which employers] are requiring regular tests,” he said. He added that he is aware that casino workers are required to have a daily negative RAT before starting work but that the kits, as well as KN95 masks, are being supplied by the casino concessionaires.
“If we [the government] request citizens to conduct a RAT, you can rest assured that we will supply the kits to the citizens so that they are able to comply with our request,” he concluded.
Several posts from concerned members of the public on social media platforms report that there are a growing number of companies and business sectors that are demanding that their staff take RATs on a daily basis.
This includes sectors such as logistics, cleaning, security, catering, and food and beverage, among others. Unlike casino staff, most of these workers must purchase the RATs at their own expense. If the current outbreak persists, this will have a significant impact upon household budgets.
RAT kits priced between mop10 and 50
Dr. Leong Iek Hou, Coordinator at the local Center for Disease Control and Prevention, noted during yesterday’s press briefing that, following the inspection conducted by the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau (ISAF), Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits Macau were being sold at a retail price ranging between 10 and 50 patacas.
Leong explained that prices varied according to the brands, manufacturing locations, logistics costs and other factors, but that said all the models found are homologated and certified, producing all results with similar accuracy.
She also said that, in response to public concern, the ISAF will inspect the stock of RATs at local pharmacies between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. each day, updating product information on the website (www.isaf.gov.mo).
Leong also announced that there is currently enough stock of 69 different types of these tests and that the importers are already working to import more stock, which is due to arrive in Macau later this week.
