Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said the state would get 60,000 vials of Amphotericin-B, the key drug for the treatment of mucormycosis patients, from June 1 onwards. There are 2,245 patients of mucormycosis, also known as the black fungus, in Maharashtra, Tope told reporters after attending a review meeting on the mucormycosis and Covid-19 cases in the state.

Tope said the state has floated a global tender for procuring Amphotericin-B vials for the treatment of mucormycosis. "The state would get 60,000 vials of the medicine from June 1 onwards. It will be an additional supply apart from the current allocation of the medicine by the Centre," he said. The minister said there are 2,245 patients of black fungus in the state and out of them, 1,007 are already covered under the Mahatma JyotiraoPhule Jan ArogyaYojana (MJPJAY), he said.“The entire cost of the treatment of mucormycosis patients under the MJPJAY will be free of cost, including the cost of the medicine. The state is also trying to cap the cost of treatment of mucormycosis patients who are admitted in private hospitals,” he said. Tope said the Maharashtra government has issued a GR (government resolution) regarding such treatment and the finance department has allocated ₹30 crores for the same. There have been several cases of mucormycosis, a rare but serious fungal infection, among Covid-19 patients in Maharashtra and some other states.