Stating that the spectre of mucormycosis was a matter of prime concern for the State, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the State government needed more supply of medicines used to treat the ‘black fungus.’
Mucormycosis has so far claimed 90 lives in the State.
Mr. Tope made this demand during the virtual meeting held by the Prime Minister wherein he interacted with Chief Ministers of severely hit COVID-19 States. More than 50 district collectors from across the country, including 17 from Maharashtra, also participated.
“I have informed the Centre that mucormycosis is the chief concern of the State government at present. I have also insisted that we need more stocks of Amphotericin-B as the because the number of such cases in Maharashtra is higher as compared with the others.”
Watch | What is mucormycosis or black fungus?
In a list of requirements presented to the Centre, Mr. Tope said that the State government needed a greater allocation of medicines to treat mucormycosis at present.
He said that the requirement for oxygen and Remdesivir-like anti-viral drugs had stabilized and were not a matter of immediate concern anymore owing to a drop in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra.
The Health Minister had earlier informed of a shortage in Amphotericin-B, a key medicine required to treat mucormycosis patients.
According to Mr. Tope, Maharashtra needed around 1.50-2 lakh vials of the drug, but had received only 16,000 doses from the Centre.
Of the 1,500-odd cases of mucormycosis found thus far in the State, around 850 were undergoing treatment in hospitals, while 90 of these, who had triumphed over COVID-19, had unfortunately succumbed to the black fungus.
