Travelers to Malaysia are displeased that they must pay for an expensive Covid-19 test upon arrival

Arriving passengers in Malaysia are enraged that they must pay for an expensive professionally performed antigen quick test at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) despite having completed a pre-departure polymerase chain reaction test.

They also questioned the need for the on-arrival test in light of the fact that Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines have all discontinued or announced plans to stop doing so shortly.

Cindy Foo, 35, a Malaysian who recently returned from Jakarta, said she had to take an antigen quick test - known in Malaysia as the RTK-Antigen test - at the airport on April 1.

"At KLIA, we had to wait for the test.
I'm not sure why we need to be examined again when we have passed the pre-departure exam "on Wednesday, she stated (April 6).

Mr Muhamad Hamid, 39, a Singaporean traveller, also questioned the need to repeat the test.

"It would be easier for us if they eliminated on-arrival testing, as other nations in the region have done," he added.

At KLIA and the low-cost terminal KLIA2, there are numerous sorts of on-arrival Covid-19 test choices, with the professional RTK-Antigen (nasal) test costing RM100 (S$32) for Malaysians and RM160 for foreigners.

If the tests are done in clinics, they usually cost roughly RM60 to RM70.

The test results take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to appear.

Malaysians pay RM250 for the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, while international travellers pay RM350, compared to the standard prices of RM180 and RM250 at clinics.

Malaysians would pay RM370 for the quick RT-PCR test, while foreigners will pay RM470.
The usual cost is less than RM350.

Provider of Covid-19 screenings on a private basis
At KLIA and KLIA2, BP Healthcare is the exclusive provider of Covid-19 RT-PCR screening, which is required of all entering passengers.

BP Healthcare was chosen through an open bidding process, according to Deputy Health Minister Noor Azmi Ghazali, and the rates had already been agreed upon.

Malaysian Airport Holdings has refuted reports that one business controls RTK testing at international airports.

KLIA, Penang International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, and Kuching International Airport, according to a senior official, have four separate health service providers.

Fully vaccinated travellers entering Malaysia have been required to take a PCR test two days prior to departure and a professional RTK-Antigen test within 24 hours of arrival since April 1.

While AirAsia Malaysia's chief executive officer Riad Asmat applauded the reopening of international crossings, he added that several Asean countries had made the voyage easier for travellers by simplifying testing procedures.

"Cambodia, for example, has abolished all testing requirements, whereas visitors to Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines must perform one Covid-19 test (either prior to departure or upon arrival)," he noted.

"This gives you more options and makes travelling easier.
As the pandemic scenario evolves, travel processes and regulations, such as the number and type of tests required, might be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure their relevance while minimising traveller burden "Added he.