Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said: “Why must there always be a price difference between West and East Malaysia even when it comes to something so important as the pandemic? The government must find ways to subsidise the difference in cost so that it is equitable for all.”

He was commenting on a statement by health minister Dr Adham Baba that a ceiling price had been set for Covid-19 under the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 to serve as a guideline for the public when paying for such tests.

The government has set the ceiling price for the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test at RM150, RTK-Antigen test at RM60 and RTK-Antibody test at RM50 in Peninsular Malaysia.

On the other hand, the ceiling price for the RT-PCR test in Sabah and Sarawak is RM200, RTK-Antigen test RM80 and RTK-Antibody test RM70.

Yii said in a statement that it was an injustice for those in Sabah and Sarawak to pay almost 40% more for the testing kits alone.

He said the excuse of “transportation cost” or other common excuses often used to justify the differences in prices between West and East Malaysia were unreasonable and that the government should find ways to make it affordable regardless of location.

“The fact of the matter is, we should be encouraging more mass testing and one of the best ways to do it is to involve the private sector in all locations.”

Yii said there should not be any form of discrimination in the case of a basic necessity especially when it came to public health.

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