MEP Alfred Sant took to Facebook to address how a major problem of the pandemic is how much money and profit is being made off of COVID testing and kits.
He pointed out how in Belgium and France, a self-testing kit can be bought from a supermarket, costing around €4 to €5.50 depending on the brand. ‘The supermarket surely receives half this price’ he said.
He went on to explain that the same commercial test in a pharmacy using the same kit would cost around €25. ‘They would be doing the same thing one would do on their own with such a test. The only difference is that there would be someone else confirming that the result was not fabricated.’
Malta’s tests cost around €35 (those commercial, not government tests which remained free of charge). With France and Belgium not offering free governmental tests, he highlighted how the profits made off of every test must be enormous.
‘It stands to reason why just last week the journal French Liberation issued an inquiry into this matter. ‘The free market knows how to empty our pockets even during a pandemic’ he said.
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