Yaroslav Nilov, Chairman of the State Duma Labor Committee, in an interview with the Daily Storm, supported the initiative of the Russian Consumers Union to make coronavirus tests free of charge. According to the deputy, commercial medical organizations should also take tests free of charge. Their expenses will be compensated by insurance companies. Nilov is confident that the state will save much more money on a timely detected new case of coronavirus and isolation of the sick person than on delayed treatment.
«In general, all tests should be provided free of charge, both in commercial and non-commercial organizations. All this should be compensated within the framework of the compulsory health insurance system, - said Nilov. - Passing the test should be regarded as an insured event. The relevant medical institution contacts the insurance company, transfers the citizen's insurance policy number and the company then receives the funds».
The pandemic is forcing all countries of the world to invest in the fight against coronavirus, and Russia has already allocated a lot of money for social assistance to its citizens, the parliamentarian recalled. The amount of money in insurance funds should be enough to provide the population with free tests, the chairman of the relevant Duma committee said.
“The MHI fund receives funds from the state budget as well. In addition, the employer pays the corresponding contributions to the health insurance fund and the social security fund. Self-employed citizens pay taxes, and part of their taxes also goes to the fund, - noted Nilov. - The region also transfers funds for non-working citizens. But let's think about what is cheaper: to do a test and timely identify an infected citizen and put him in quarantine, or not to identify and then spend money on his treatment and other citizens whom he managed to infect. Yes, today we conditionally spend a ruble, but as a result we save 10».
«I believe there should be free masks and gloves and septic tanks to reduce the risk of infection. And the opportunity to take the test should also be provided free of charge.», - concluded Nilov.
Previously The Consumer Union of Russia and the International Confederation of Consumer Societies (ConfOP) have proposed to make testing for coronavirus free of charge. The head of KonfOP, Pyotr Shelishch, said in an interview with Izvestia that ordinary citizens often began to complain to his organization, who had to wait in line for two or three weeks in state polyclinics to get a test, and as a result, had to pay big money to take the test on time paid clinics. Shelishch proposed to compensate the costs of testing at the expense of the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund.
At the end of October, Rospotrebnadzor said that citizens in contact with patients with COVID-19 should do tests for COVID-19 weekly. People over 65 and with a chronic medical condition should get tested even more often.
