The costs of COVID-19 antigen tests at community-level medical institutions are now covered by the medical insurance funds for Guangdong residents who have joined the basic medical insurance system, sources from the Shenzhen Municipal Healthcare Security Bureau said recently.
Guangdong Province has temporarily included COVID antigen test kits and corresponding test items in the provincial medical insurance’s medical consumables list and diagnosis and treatment catalog.
Meanwhile, for those insured, expenses for COVID antigen test kits at designated retail pharmacies can be paid using the employee medical insurance personal account.
The insured’s spouse, parents and children can also use the personal account to purchase antigen test kits at designated medical institutions.
The diagnosis and drug fees incurred in prescriptions are also covered by the basic medical insurance funds for those insured who seek treatment for the first time through internet hospitals and medical institutions that offer internet-based diagnosis and treatment services.
However, the drug delivery fee is not covered by medical insurance.
In another development, the South China Hospital of Shenzhen University opened a COVID-19 outpatient clinic Wednesday, in a bid to meet residents’ medical needs and ensure that COVID patients can get targeted, rapid and efficient treatment.
Citizens in need can make an appointment through the hospital’s official WeChat account, self-service machines or service counters.
Liu Jun, the hospital’s outpatient office director, said that patients can conduct a comprehensive disease assessment and receive professional guidance on medication and recovery at the COVID outpatient clinic.