May 28 : The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the government not to charge any cost to the economically deprived Nepali people while conducting the RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Test) on them for COVID-19.
A single bench of justice Tej Bahadur KC on Tuesday (May 26) issued such an order while staying the implementation of an interim directive issued by the Health Ministry.
Earlier on May 15, the ministry had come with such directive with a provision to charge up to 20 percent of the purchasing cost involved in the RDT procedure. According to the latest verdict of the apex court, the people below the poverty line with annual income of less than Rs 270,000 and those returning back home from foreign countries except India due to the risks of the coronavirus infection shall enjoy free-of-cost examination for such infection.
