The Ministry of Health has directed the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) and other relevant bodies to step up inspections and raids on private healthcare institutions, after reports that some private hospitals are charging patients above the government-approved price for Full Blood Count (FBC) tests.
The directive comes as the country continues to grapple with a surge in dengue cases, the Daily Mirror reported.
Sources told the newspaper the ministry is concerned that patients suspected of having dengue — who often require repeated FBC tests to monitor platelet counts and overall condition — could face an unnecessary financial burden if hospitals fail to keep to the regulated prices.
The controlled prices are set out in Order No. 67 issued under Section 20(5) of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 09 of 2003. Under that order, the maximum charge for a Full Blood Count test, including the report, is Rs. 400, while the maximum for a Dengue NS1 Antigen test, including the report, is Rs. 1,200.
The move follows the conviction of a private hospital in Vavuniya for overcharging on an FBC test. The CAA said the violation was detected during a raid by its investigation officers, who found the hospital had charged patients more than the approved price for the laboratory test. The Authority instituted proceedings before the Vavuniya Magistrate’s Court, which imposed a fine of Rs. 500,000 on the hospital.
The FBC is the routine test used to track platelet levels in dengue patients, and a single case can require it daily over the course of an illness — which is what turns a modest per-test overcharge into a substantial cost for a household.
The directive extends an enforcement drive already under way in the private health sector. The CAA reported fines totalling Rs. 5.8 million across 23 institutions last week over expired medicines and other violations, and has separately fined hospitals in Jaffna and elsewhere for overcharging patients.
