Prime Minister Ersan Saner said that from September 1, PCR or antigen tests for Covid will no longer be free of charge.
The cost of a PCR test will not exceed 100 TL and 40 TL for an antigen test.
The state can no longer afford to fund free testing, the prime minister said, and the move also aims to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The new rules also mean that the fees for staying in quarantine at a particular hotel will also be borne by residents. Today, students are provided with free quarantine housing, paid for by the state.
These are the new rules published in the Official Gazette:
1. Potential costs of PCR / antigen / quarantine of all persons will be borne by themselves.
2. PCR / Antigen costs to be incurred by registering personnel employed in all workplaces through the Ministry of Health system will be borne by employers or their employees.
3. If the person concerned wishes to stay in a quarantine hotel on the grounds that they do not have a suitable place to stay in the event of contact or a positive test result, the hotel costs for people who have not completed the vaccination process will be covered.
4. The costs of general medical examinations carried out by the Ministry of Health are covered by the state. General medical records showing who has been screened for which case or cases will be kept daily and shared with the Prime Minister within one month.
5. Subject to the decisions of the Supreme Committee on Infectious Diseases, PCR / antigen tests that may be requested upon departure or entry into the country must be submitted and / or payment must be documented prior to passing through the appropriate air / sea / land gate ... ...
6. PCR / antigen tests can only be performed in laboratories authorized by the Ministry of Health.
7. Authorized laboratories must submit the test results to the Ministry of Health system. Otherwise, the results will not be considered valid and the approvals of the respective laboratories will be revoked.
8. Individuals who will conduct PCR / antigen tests must first register with the Ministry of Health system, select the laboratory in which they will test and pay the analysis fee to the appropriate laboratory at the time of the test.
9. Those receiving social assistance will be exempt from paying the fee if their PCR / antigen test is performed in a hospital or medical center subordinated to the Ministry of Health.
10. If a PCR / antigen test is desired at a hospital or health center affiliated with the Ministry of Health, payment must be made by credit or debit card on the registration page.
11. Since the general medical examination conducted by the Ministry of Health will be aimed at identifying the disease in relation to positive and contact persons, in order to control and prevent its spread, no exceptions or exclusions are provided. any natural or legal person, including government officials, from the rules and remuneration.
12. General medical examinations conducted by the Ministry of Health will only be carried out by government officials and no services in this regard will be provided by any private medical institution.
13. In the case of those people who need to wear the bracelet because they have tested positive for Covid or have been in contact with an infected person, the cost of the bracelet will be covered by the government.
14. The maximum cost for testing has been estimated at 100 Turkish Lira per PCR and 40 Turkish Lira per antigen, and tests can be performed below these figures.
15. The rules of this decision come into force from 01.09.2021.