Covid-19 screening tests: additional income or business?
Audio 02:34
Chadey, a medical student, prepares an antigen test in a pharmacy in Rambouillet in Île de France.
Covid-19 screening tests have exploded since the obligation to present a health pass to enter certain public places: restaurants, cinemas, stadiums, shopping centers of more than 20,000 square meters.
© RFI / Ariane Gaffuri
By: Ariane Gaffuri Follow
7 mins
Since August 9, some 6 million tests have been carried out each week by doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and especially pharmacists who represent 85% of testers.
With a remuneration of more than 20 euros per test, is it a beneficial supplement of income or a real business?
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Chadey is a medical student.
She performs an antigen test in a discreet corner set up for the occasion in the Nadjahi pharmacy in Rambouillet, in the western suburbs of Paris.
“
Why are you doing this test?
For work, for leisure?
Chadey asks.
“
For work, we had a Covid case.
It's to make sure I can get back to work,
”the patient replies.
There are about fifteen of them lining the shelves to get tested for free.
For the moment, the test is fully covered by Social Security.
Christopher, a user of sports halls, confides that he prefers to be tested.
“
I don't have too much faith in the vaccine,
” he admits.
► Also to listen: Covid-19: French people still resistant to vaccination
"We are paid for the work and the time spent"
Renaud Nadjahi, the owner of the pharmacy, vaccinates and validates the tests.
He had to hire five medical students to keep up with the demand.
“
We have a very, very strong demand for antigenic tests.
To give you an example, in the month of June, I had carried out about 600 tests, and we are [currently] at more than
2400 tests carried out,
”says the doctor of pharmacy.
Doctor Renaud Nadjahi vaccines against Covid-19 in his pharmacy in Rambouillet, in Île de France.
© RFI / Ariane Gaffuri
Each test is reimbursed around 25 euros to the healthcare professional.
So can we speak of a financial windfall?
“
We are reimbursed almost at the purchase price of the test, up to 6 euros, and the debit, whatever the profession, it is the same price: around 9 euros.
And there are barely ten euros of administrative act which is very long,
”he explains.
Then to add: “
I heard on the air, indeed, comments on the“ juicy ”side of this act.
We do not do it for the money, we are paid for the work and the time spent, like everyone else,
”says Renaud Nadjahi.
► To read also: The Ségur of health and the anti-Covid tests lead to the budget of the Social Security
Certain practices bordering on legality
But some less scrupulous have scented the vein at the limit of legality, for example by erecting barnums, tents, sometimes miles from their pharmacies.
Pierre Begueries, President of the Central Council of the Order of Pharmacists in Pharmacy, explains that “
the problem is that we ended up with barnums which are held by people authorized to take samples, but which are not directly supervised by health professionals who are the only ones authorized to hold these barnums and to make the necessary declarations to be able to make the health passes.
"He continues:"
On a large scale and by not putting the necessary responsibilities, necessarily, it can become juicy,
"he concedes.
The end of free tests on October 15, for those who do not have a prescription, should slow down these new businesses.
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