The nucleic acid testing in a lab Source: VCG

Multiple places across China have started to refund local residents’ nucleic acid testing fees, which has sparked heated discussions on social media. 

Some residents from Langfang city in North China’s Hebei Province received a text message from The People’s Hospital of Langfang City recently, which informed them to have their nucleic acid testing fees refunded from the hospital. Residents paid the nucleic acid testing fees in 2020 and 2021 can get refunded on workdays between May 20 and June 20, according to Benliu News. 

The finance department belonging to the hospital confirmed to the news portal that the notice has been released several times and the refunds to adults have almost been competed, meaning the hospital has started to refund children. Those eligible for refunds have been sent text message notifications.

The news soon stirred heated discussions online with many netizens in other places also expect to enjoy such a refund policy. 

Outside of Langfang, several cities across the country also released refund policies for nucleic acid testing fees. Places such as Tianjin, Guangxi, Guizhou released such notices in 2021 which specified detailed refund conditions and procedures. 

In February of 2021, Tianjin rolled out an implementation plan to refund patients’ and their escorts’ nucleic acid testing fees they paid to the local hospitals between May 7, 2020 and February 9, 2021. 

According to the local health commission, nucleic acid testing fees during this period time will be paid by the local government and since February 10, 2021, all such personnel have been exempted from paying nucleic acid testing fees. 

In South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, three hospitals including the Reproduction Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the People’s Hospital of Laibin, and the Second People’s Hospital of Qinzhou all implemented in 2021 the refunding procedure of nucleic acid testing fees to people who paid for the fees between May 7, 2020 and August 31, 2021. 

A name list showed that around 35,000 people were involved in the refund procedure at the Second People’s Hospital of Qinzhou. 

In Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Changji City People’s Hospital released a notice in September of 2020 to refund nucleic acid testing fees to those who paid for the service between July 16 and 24 in 2020. 

Global Times