JOIN USCentre asks states to prioritise young patients for mucormycosis treatment
The Centre has asked state governments to prioritise young patients while treating mucormycosis with Amphotericin B, the drug of choice, which is in short supply.
In an advisory issued in consultation with the National Task Force on Covid-19 and the Indian Council of Medical Research, the government identified two specific categories of patients for treatment with Amphotericin B. They are young people and patients for which surgical removal of damaged or infected tissues (surgical debridement) is not possible.
India currently has more than 28,000 mucormycosis cases of which nearly 42 per cent comes from Gujarat and Maharashtra.
“So far, 28,252 cases have been reported from 28 states. Out of these, 86 per cent per cent(24,370 cases) have a history of Covid-19 infection and 62.3 per cent (17,601) have a history of diabetes. Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of Mucormycosis cases (6,339) followed by Gujarat (5,486),” Union health minister informed a Group of Ministers earlier this week.
The advisory comes days after the Delhi High Court asked the Centre to protect the youth as they are the “future of the country” while the elderly have “lived their lives” since only a limited quantity of the medicine is available to treat thousands of black fungus cases.
A division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh asked the Centre to frame policy and file a status report. The high court said those who have a better chance of survival, who are younger and hold the promise of the future have to be prioritised over the older generation who have lived their lives.
The court, however, clarified by saying: "We are not for a moment discounting the emotional support that the older generation provides families, particularly Indian families that are so closely bonded. But difficult choices have to be made and should be made at this stage.”
"If we have to choose, the young will have to be chosen. They are the future. 80-year-olds are not going to carry this country forward. They have lived their lives," the court said.
With several thousand mucormycosis cases and limited indigenous production of Amphotericin B, there is currently a shortage of crucial medicines.
A month ago, the Centre had announced that five additional pharmaceutical companies received approval for producing the medicine in India in addition to the existing six companies. The firms have also placed orders for importing six lakh vials of Amphotericin-B.