The Ministry of Health has opened an expression of interest for pharmacies to open up Rapid Antigen Testing sites in communities.
Permanent Secretary Doctor James Fong says once this is done, they will then look at the possibility of doing more home quarantine for travellers.
He says they want the test to be done at the pharmacies and the result to be sent back to the Ministry although there will be people who will buy the test kits to take it home.
The cost for one Rapid Antigen Test at a lab is around $45 to $60 at the moment.
When questioned if government is looking at putting a price control on the test kits, Dr Fong says they have been working on improving access until now and will look at the price in the next phase.
Health Minister Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete says they will only accept kits which meets the World Health Organization criteria.
Dr Waqainabete says whether these kits will be administered through pharmacies or even supermarkets will be something that the Fiji Pharmaceutical Board will advise on.
He says they want to encourage the opportunities for Antigen Testing to be widely available as long as they meet the criteria.
Shanil/Iva/Navi
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