Why Aren't RT-PCR Tests Free in the Philippines 2022? Tatler Delves Deep

We've gone through two years of a global pandemic—why haven't gold standard RT-PCR tests been made publicly available for free?

It's so hard to get a COVID-19 test these days. With the recent Omicron surge, people have been swarming towards testing centres, with others stocking up on antigen kits. Sadly, not everyone can afford these. With RT-PCR tests ranging at around Php2,000 to Php5,000 a swab, it doesn't seem surprising that some people choose not to test at all.

The Philippines, which reported a 4.2 per cent inflation rate in November 2021, also had unemployment statistics of 7.4 per cent in October 2021. While this may seem innocuous, it translates to millions of workers out of a job—and therefore millions of families without steady income. Can we fault someone for refusing a thousand peso RT-PCR test when there's barely a kilo of rice left on the table? Certainly not.

Above (Photo: Unsplash)

Problems with Testing

After two tiring years of living in a pandemic, COVID-19 tests seem to have become a norm. No longer are men and women in PPE's seen as extraordinary and most everyone I know has had to undergo a swab at least once in the past two years—whether it's for travel, for work, for a party, or simply as a confirmatory result. Whatever the reason, it seems we've all needed to get tested at one point or another. Yet, mass testing, which the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) defined as "testing the 110 million Philippine population", seems so out of reach. Neither is there any consistency on the number of tests—which can range from 30,000 in one day to 70,000 in another—done daily. Most importantly: RT-PCR tests are still considered a luxury as they are not made free to private citizens (though the Department of Tourism did subsidise them for local tourists).

And why not? At this crucial time in the pandemic, shouldn't it be?

Not Readily Available

Plenty of countries, such as Spain and South Korea offer free tests. But it seems as though not all countries want to follow suit. Recently, Sorsogon governor, Chiz Escudero took to Twitter to express his frustration with the lack of accessibility for tests. He writes: "Then DOH should make RT-PCR testing ACCESSIBLE, READILY AVAILABLE AND FREE! After nearly two years and ₱6,000,000,000,000 in borrowings, why is it that we still cannot seem to do this?!?!"

Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary had previously scoffed at the idea of providing Americans with free at-home rapid Covid-19 tests. "What happens if every American has one test?" she asked a journalist sarcastically. "How much does that cost and what happens after that?"

Though Psaki has since backtracked on her comments, she exhibited the kind of mindset that many politicians have, and that is based on economy. What are the costs and what will one have to give up in order to make way for free tests? Despite the PHP 5 trillion budget allocated for the Philippines this 2022, House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani pointed out that there were no funds set aside for free mass testing.

A Different Strategy, Perhaps?

It seems then as if the government's lack of allocation is merely an issue of prioritisation. While the Bureau of Fire Protection gets a 2 billion pesos "to procure fire-fighting equipment and construct fire stations", the Philippine Genomic Information and Resource Hub was granted merely 140 million. School-based feeding programs were granted 3.3 billion, while the Philippine National Police was allocated 172.2 billion "to conduct police patrol operations and campaigns against various crimes, among others, through the Crime Prevention and Suppression Program." This seems fairly consistent with President Duterte's stance on prioritising the militarisation and "safety" of the country.

In an earlier press conference last April 2021, testing czar, Vivencio Dizon, had also said that mass testing was not made available because the country's approach was "risk-based and targeted testing". He also quoted that the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) on mass testing, saying “indiscriminate mass testing of asymptomatic individuals using tests with sub-optimal sensitivity is neither feasible nor practical”. Perhaps then, free RT-PCR tests have not been made available as that is not the course of strategy for policymakers.

International doctors have likewise suggested that as COVID-19 becomes an endemic disease, it must soon be time to count only COVID-19 hospitalisations and not positive tests.

There hasn't been a definitive reason as to why the Philippines cannot seem to provide free RT-PCR tests for its citizens. Perhaps it's a matter of economy, or perhaps it's a matter of health strategy. Either way, it seems obvious that people do need (and want!) accessible testing, especially now as Omicron surges its way across NCR and its surrounding provinces. We can only hope that it will be made available in the future should lawmakers deem it necessary.

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Tatler Asia

Despite Omicron, Why Aren't RT-PCR Tests Free in the Philippines This 2022?

Problems with Testing

Not Readily Available

A Different Strategy, Perhaps?