ChennaiInvestigative agencies or rehabilitation units in Tamil Nadu will no longer have to wait for days for drug test results. A two-millilitre blood test will help doctors conduct drug tests. Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital The Health Minister said that within 20 minutes it will be known whether the patient has consumed any of the 29 narcotic or psychotropic drugs banned by the government. Ma Subramanian Said.

The minister inaugurated the machine that can do this work blood test,

“Until Now”We were relying on urine samples for these tests,” said E Theranirajan, dean of the hospital. “An illicit substance or drug will show up in a urine test from a few hours to seven days after its use. Chemical residues from long-term use can be present in the urine up to 90 days after the last drug use. But it takes time for a substance to show up in the urine,” he said.

On the other hand, blood tests are also a better indicator of recent substance abuse.

“These can be used in accident cases where DUI is suspected, to test for evidence of impairment at the time of the incident. Or to test for adulteration of drinks in case of alcohol tragedies like Kallakurichi,” said Dr Theranirajan.

However, this test is more expensive than the urine test. “It can cost up to Rs 2,500 for this test in our hospital. Given that we cannot do a large volume of tests, we think it can still be affordable,” he said.

Besides, the health minister inaugurated equipment costing Rs 14.5 crore at the hospital. Air pollution gauges have been installed at the RGGH campus to measure dust particles, air pollutants, temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed besides air quality index, as part of a joint research being conducted by the hospital with IIT-Madras.