The government has fixed the fee for a dengue detection test, known as NS1, at Tk 100 at state-run hospitals, while private hospitals are allowed to charge a maximum of Tk 300.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque disclosed the new rates after a seminar in Dhaka on Sunday.

The government’s decision to charge for a dengue detection test, which has been free at state-run hospitals since 2019, came a day after Bangladesh reported 167 causalities from the deadly disease so far this year, surpassing the previous annual record.

In 2019, private hospitals and clinics were instructed to charge a maximum of Tk 500 for the test.

Three more people died on Sunday, taking the toll to 170. The previous highest toll from the disease was 164 in 2019.

Confusion arose after the minister’s disclosure as Abul Bashar Mohammed Khurshid Alam, director general of health services, said just two days ago that the government is committed to maintaining the free-for-all policy for the dengue detection test in state-run hospitals.

“The minister is correct. State-run hospitals have not charged a dime for this test since 2019. But this year, we have changed course and decided to charge Tk 100 for each test. All state-run hospitals across the country have already been notified about it,” Prof Khurshid Alam said when he was asked by bdnews24.com for clarification. “I believe I was misquoted by journalists on Friday.”

The number of patients hospitalised with dengue increased in the latest 24-hour count until Sunday morning by 908 to 43,107, the second highest after 101,354 hospitalisations in 2019. 

Dengue cases usually rise in Bangladesh when mosquito attack increases during monsoon as the Aedes-aegypti mosquito breeds in clean stagnant water. This year, however, dengue cases surged in the September-October period.

The government and city authorities have bolstered efforts to keep the situation under control with a number of steps.

On Saturday, Dhaka North City Corporation suspended the construction of two buildings in Uttara after finding mosquito larvae in stagnant water at the sites. A mobile court of the city corporation also fined the builders Tk 600,000 in total after a drive to raise awareness.

The education boards also decided to make special accommodations for HSC candidates, as sick students will be allowed to sit for the exams in a separate room and they can even bring along beds and mosquito nets if needed.