The government has decided to grant traders a grace period before implementing the revised ceiling price for COVID-19 self-test kits. Effective tomorrow on 5 September 2021, sellers are required to clear off any existing stock of the kits for a duration of one week in order to minimise potential profit losses.
The price revision, which was announced by health minister Khairy Jamaluddin on 2 September, was initially slated to be implemented tomorrow. He noted that the ceiling price for COVID-19 self-test kits, regardless of brand, will be set at RM19.90 for retail and RM16 for wholesale. However, the change was too sudden and drastic for traders and pharmacy operators, especially those who’ve recently stocked up on kits at prices above the new ceiling price. This resulted in the government’s decision to delay the implementation.
We have set the ceiling price for COVID rapid test kits at RM19.90 for retail and RM16 for wholesale. We will also be exploring bulk purchase options to drive the price down further & also look at providing free kits for B40 families. @KKMPutrajaya @kpdnhep
— Khairy Jamaluddin
(@Khairykj) September 2, 2021
“We understand that they have bought the kit at prices of more than RM16 and RM19, so we give them a week to clear their existing stock so that they do not incur huge losses when the ceiling price comes into effect,” said domestic trade and consumer affairs deputy minister Datuk Rosol Wahid earlier today. “Monitoring operations will still be conducted by the ministry starting tomorrow, but legal action will only be taken against errant traders and pharmacy operators after a week.”
Stern action will be taken against traders who fail to comply after the end of the one week grace period. Rosol said that such offenses will be charged under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
There are currently 16 approved COVID-19 self-test kits available for purchase in Malaysia, which averaged at a retail price of RM39.90 per unit. As of late July this year, Malaysians may purchase them and also manually input their test results via the MySejahtera mobile app. However, due to the recent changes, the app’s option for purchasing self-test kits have been temporarily taken offline until further notice.
For the updated list of approved COVID-19 self-test kits, please refer to MOH’s Medical Device Authority portal via this link.
(Source: Bernama / Khairy Jamaluddin [Twitter])
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