I lost my father to Covid, now my mother is struggling with ‘black fungus’... When will this nightmare end?

PUNE Distraught families of those who have recovered from Covid-19 are now left facing another health challenge, Mucormycosis, colloquially referred to as “black fungus”

PUNE Distraught families of those who have recovered from Covid-19 are now left facing another health challenge, Mucormycosis, colloquially referred to as “black fungus”.

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The steady rise in the number of cases of Mucormycosis is leading to a shortage of the drug Amphotericin, required for the treatment.

Supply of the drug is now being restricted by district administration and is not freely available in the market.

Ketan Bagade, son of Pramila Bagade, who is admitted to the Sahyadri multispeciality hospital, said, “My mom was Covid-19 positive on April 30, and got discharged from a government Covid centre in Baramati on May 7. A few days after being discharged she started complaining of a swelling and pain near the nose and cheeks. She was diagnosed with Mucormycosis.

Bagade says that’s when they admitted her to the Pune hospital.

“The hospital said that she will require five doses of Amphotericin B Liposomal injection. On the first day the hospital provided her the injection, on the second day we were asked to get it and we arranged for it. On the third day, again the hospital arranged for it; however, now they have asked us to get it from outside. We contacted a few chemists and they said that off-the-counter sale of the drug is restricted. We went to the collector’s office and they said that only the hospital can procure the drug,” Bagade adds.

Bagade also said that the hospital estimated the treatment cost, without the injections, to be ₹six lakh.

He said, “My mother needs about five doses every day for another seven days, so she needs 35 vials. Each dose costs Rs7,000, so the injections alone cost about ₹2.45 lakh.”

Another such patient who recently lost his father to Covid-19, had to travel from Nanded to Pune to be with his mother who is fighting Mucormycosis.

Suraj Telang’s mother is admitted to the Poona Hospital, and he is now looking for the injections.

Telang said, “My mother finished her surgery on Tuesday and doctors had said that she would need about four injections every day before the surgery. My mom tested positive for Covid-19 on March 22, along with my father. However, my father lost his life to the infection on March 28. A few days later, my mother started complaining of a pain in the tooth and gum, and then in the sinuses, with a swelling on the cheeks. We took her to the hospital and she was diagnosed with Mucormycosis.”

Telang added, “We have lost all our savings in paying hospital bills. I lost my father to Covid-19 and now, my mother is struggling from Mucormycosis. When will this nightmare end? We are trying every possible source available to get the drug.”

“We even went to the collector’s office but no one is giving any right answers,” he added.

Dr H K Sale, executive director of Noble hospital, said, “We are facing a severe shortage of the drug. After saving our patients from Covid-19, we might lose them to Mucormycosis, because there is no drug available. These patients also need ICU beds for a longer period. If we do not ramp up our facilities and make sure medication is in the right place, we may lose more lives for no reason.”

On Tuesday, state health minister Rajesh Tope announced that in case the cost of treatment for Mucormycosis is more than the allowable insurance cover, under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the excess cost will be borne by the the State Health Guarantee Society.

Under the MPJAY scheme, medicines for Mucormycosis will be given free to patients.