E-Paper
62 being treated for black fungus in Chandigarh hospitals
The administration has placed an order of 2,000 vials of Amphotericin-B injection, a key drug used to treat the deadly fungal infection
A total of 62 patients are undergoing treatment for mucormycosis in city hospitals, out of which only 10 are from Chandigarh.
Mucormycosis or black fungus is a rare disease caused by fungi that has affected thousands of Covid-19 patients across India.
While the number of black fungus cases is on the rise, there has been no improvement in the supply of Amphotericin-B, a key drug to treat the deadly fungal infection.
Even the 50 vials of the injection allotted by the Centre will arrive after Thursday. According to officials, these would be enough to treat the patients.
“To ensure early arrival of the drug, we have followed Punjab tender rates, and placed an order for urgent supply of 2,000 injection vials to pharma company Mylan. The supply cost is around ₹1.2 crore,” said UT adviser Manoj Parida.
Officials said the drug is being procured from different sources on a day-to-day basis. On Monday, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) loaned 50 vials of the injection to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32.
Among the black fungus patients, two are undergoing treatment at PGIMER, six are admitted in GMCH-32 and two are in private hospitals.
