Tell Centre mucormycosis patients dying due to drug shortage: HC to Maha

The Bombay High Court on Thursday

said that Maharashtra needs to tell the Centre that mucormycosis patients in the Marathwada region of the state are dying due to the shortage of medicine required in its treatment.

Justices R V Ghuge and B U Debadwar of the high court's Aurangabad bench was informedthat patients in Marathwada were being under-treated as there is a shortage in the supply of Amphotericin B, a drug used in the treatment of mucormycosis or black fungus infection.

The bench was hearing petitions pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advocate Satyajit Bora, appointed to assist the court, argued that patients are being administered one to two injections per day as against the requirement of four to five injections per patient per day.

As a consequence, there have been 124 deaths. Even today, there is a shortage of about 70 per cent of the required quantity of the drug, he said.

Government pleader D R Kale told the court that currently there are 1,178 ...