Jagran correspondent, South Delhi. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi is now going to start a free facility of therapeutic drug monitoring test for epilepsy patients. With this, patients will not have to go out for testing and will not have to pay any fee anywhere.
The AIIMS administration has issued instructions to all departments and centers including NCI to send samples of patients to the designated laboratory for testing. Under the therapeutic drug monitoring test, patients will be able to get tested at AIIMS for the medicines Phenobarbital, Carbamazepine, Valproic Acid and Phenytoin.
According to AIIMS, therapeutic drug monitoring test is done to measure the level of drugs in the blood, from which the effect of the drug dose is evaluated and the dosage is decided again. In this test it is also seen whether the medicine is causing toxicity.
Many medicines are given to epilepsy patients, including Phenobarbital, Carbamazepine, Valproic Acid and Phenytoin. It has been decided to provide free testing facility to the patients for monitoring the medicines. Patients coming for hospitalization and treatment in OPD will be able to avail the testing facility.
OPD patients of AIIMS will be available in the collection center room number three from 8.30 am to 1 pm. Apart from this, patients will also get this facility in National Cancer Institute and AIIMS located in Jhajjar. According to the information, patients outside had to spend Rs 390 to Rs 1880 for therapeutic drug monitoring test of different medicines, but now it will be absolutely free in AIIMS.