Rajasthan HC asks state to apprise on preventive measures against black fungus, issues notice

The division bench of Justice Sabina and Justice MK Vyas passed the order while hearing a PIL filed by advocate Siddhartha Jain.

Concerned over the rapid rise in the cases of mucormycosis (black fungus), the Rajasthan High Court has issued a notice to the state government to inform it about the preventive steps being taken to deal with the disease, HT has learnt.

Pune, India - May 22, 2021: A doctor inspects a patient of Mucormycosis or black fungus in a dedicated ward for the similar patients at Noble hospital, Hadapsar in Pune, India, on Saturday, May 22, 2021. (Photo by Pratham Gokhale/Hindustan Times) (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

The division bench of Justice Sabina and Justice MK Vyas passed the order while hearing a PIL filed by advocate Siddhartha Jain. The petition stated that the black fungus infection or mucormycosis mainly affects people who are on medication for other health problems that reduce their ability to fight environmental pathogens.

While it is very rare, it can lead to the loss of the upper jaw and sometimes even the eyes. The second surge of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country has been more devastating than the first. Before the pandemic like Corona was over, another pandemic called mucormycosis (black fungus) took birth, which has hit more than 500 people in Rajasthan.

Counsel for the petitioner Chitrank Sharma told the court that in view of the increasing cases of black fungus, the Rajasthan government has placed orders for the purchase of about 2,500 injections of Liposomal but mucormycosis patients have to take about 40 or more than 40 injections and it costs about 4-5 lakhs for the treatment. Due to this, many people were not able to get treated and lost their lives.

“Due to the pandemic of black fungus, hundreds of people are facing innumerable problems in these challenging times, a major one of them is not getting proper treatment because of shortage of beds, medical oxygen, ventilators and medicinal drugs in the hospitals. Several people of the state are unable to get proper treatment or even basic medical care and the treatment of the black fungus pandemic is very costly,” he added.

The petition has urged an increase in the availability of medicine and to provide appropriate medical facilities to the patients.