KATHMANDU: Health Minister Pradeep Paudel has warned private health centers against exploiting poor patients by overcharging for dengue tests.

Speaking at the launch of “Shrawan Dengue Awareness Month,” he said the government will try to provide free testing or at least fix a standard charge.

“It’s wrong to squeeze the poor during a crisis,” he said, urging strict regulation of fees even in private labs.

Paudel noted that dengue cases are rising each year and that one sick person in a family affects the whole household.
He admitted the government hasn’t done enough and called the outbreak a crisis beyond just health.