The cost of Covid-19 tests in Dubai has been cut to Dh250 to encourage more people to be tested.
Dubai Health Authority made the decision to reduce the price of an elective Polymerase Chain Reaction nasal swab by more than Dh100 on Sunday.
It follows a direction to all licenced public and private healthcare facilities offering PCR tests in Dubai to cut costs and encourage more proactive medical examinations.
The authority said it would spare no effort to combat Covid-19 to ensure the safety of society.
The move is a precautionary and preventive measure by the health authority, following a recent spike in the number of reported cases of the virus.
It also follows a similar step taken by the country's largest healthcare provider Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, or Seha, to bring costs down from Dh370.
Seha made the decision last week, which came into force immediately across all its drive through and walk-in test sites.
The PCR test can be used to enter Abu Dhabi from other emirates.
Residents need a negative PCR or diffractive phase interferometry (DPI) laser test result from the previous 48 hours, the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority said last week in an update to its border regulations.
The UAE has conducted more than 8.1 million Covid-19 tests since the outbreak began as part of a mass screening strategy aimed at stemming the spread of the virus.
