Set up separate wards, teams to treat mucormycosis: Maharashtra health minister

Looking at the rising cases of mucormycosis in Maharashtra, state health minister Rajesh Tope directed authorities to create a separate ward in government and private medical college hospitals to treat such patients

Looking at the rising cases of mucormycosis in Maharashtra, state health minister Rajesh Tope directed authorities to create a separate ward in government and private medical college hospitals to treat such patients. Tope, while addressing media in Jalna on Saturday, also said that independent team of experts and nurses should be formed to treat these patients.

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The health minister said cases of mucormycosis, which is colloquially referred as black fungus, are a new challenge for the health department in the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic and added that patients with this disease need ear, nose, throat (ENT) specialist, ophthalmologist, neurosurgeon, plastic surgeon. He said government hospitals and medical college hospitals have some experts, and therefore a separate ward should be set up there. “Not every place will have so many experts under one roof. Therefore, treatment is being provided in large hospitals. And the disease can be treated in certain large hospitals participating in Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana,” Tope said.

He further added that the state is taking efforts to make available the injections required for the treatment of black fungus. So far, he said, 5,000 injections have been distributed and the state is in process to purchase 100,000 injections from Haffkine Institute.