With no policy regulating prices for diagnostic tests, patients are forced to rely on laboratories that use unreliable kits
KARACHI:
As the spread of dengue and malaria again plagues people in the port city, diagnostic tests and platelet treatments have become unaffordable for the public. As a result, small laboratories now perform tests using low-quality kits that, while easy on the pocket, give unreliable results.
Hundreds of laboratories continue without registration with insufficiently trained staff, often creating difficulties for patients. Despite the fact that doctors rely heavily on medical test reports when prescribing treatment for vector-borne diseases, the Ministry of Health has remained silent on the use of substandard kits and overcharging patients, allowing the medical sector to exploit poor families without fear of action.
Currently, almost every laboratory in Karachi charges its own rates for dengue, malaria and other blood tests, far beyond the reach of poor patients. Many laboratories use inexpensive rapid kits for screening. A 2019 study conducted in Pakistan revealed that these fast devices provide only about 70 percent accurate results with a 30 percent chance of error. Despite this, many laboratories continue to use cheap and unreliable kits, leading to questionable reports that doctors then use for treatment decisions, sometimes putting patients’ lives at risk.
A dengue patient, Saqib, revealed that he got his dengue and malaria tests done at two different laboratories, one charging Rs 2,000 and the other Rs 1,400. Lab workers told him that his tests were done using rapid kits. “My CBC reports from the two laboratories differed significantly and the doctor explained that these variations were due to differences in diagnostic kits. Dengue patients also often require platelet transfusions, which cost between Rs6,000 and Rs35,000,” Saqib said while urging the government to ensure availability of platelets for dengue patients.
Similarly, Shazia, a resident of Jamshed Road, said her two sons developed high fever and the doctor instructed her to get the dengue, malaria and CBC tests done. “I had to pay Rs 7,000 in total. When I questioned the cost, the lab claimed it used high-quality kits whose results doctors trusted, unlike the cheaper kits used by small labs whose reports may not be reliable,” Shazia said.
According to the vector-borne diseases department of the Director General of Health Services Sindh, 22 people have died of dengue across Sindh from January to November 2025, including deaths reported in several districts of Karachi as well as Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Tando Muhammad Khan and Tando Muhammad Aliyar. During the same period, the number of dengue cases in Karachi and Sindh rose to 18,728.
At Dow Laboratory, the dengue antigen test costs Rs.1,100, the IgG/IgM dengue test costs Rs.1,500, the PCR dengue test costs Rs.4,600. and the ELISA dengue test Rs.1,180, while the CBC test with ESR costs Rs.680. The same tests at larger private hospitals are often twice as expensive, while smaller laboratories have no fixed price. PCR and ELISA techniques are considered more reliable, which is why they are more expensive in certified laboratories.
According to the Chairman of Sindh Healthcare Commission, Dr. Khalid Shaikh, new reduced prices have been set for dengue-related tests till December 31, 2025. The ICT malaria test, which was earlier costing Rs.3,050, is now being offered at Rs600; the dengue ELISA test, earlier Rs4,550, at Rs1,100; the dengue IgM/Combo test, earlier Rs4,150, at Rs1,500; and CBC with smear, previously priced at Rs1,250 is now available for Rs500. Some larger labs have implemented the new rates, but many small labs continue to charge as they please.
