VIJAYAPURA: People infected with black fungus or mucormycosis can have a sigh of relief as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the Karnataka government will bear the complete cost of the treatment for it.
CM Bommai said, “The cases of black fungus have reduced in the state. It came to my notice that the infected people are finding it difficult to afford the treatment as each dose costs anywhere between Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000. The fungal infected patients need to take injections regularly even after their discharge from the hospital. So, in order to lower the burden on the infected people and their families, the state government will bear the cost of treatment.”
“The government will also bear the cost of the doses that are required for the treatment of fungal infection even after a patient is discharged from the hospital. This facility will be provided until the patient recovers from the disease,” said Bommai.
According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, “A total of 3,836 cases of mucormycosis have been reported in the state. Of these, Bengaluru Urban has the highest number of infections with 1,207 cases, Dharwad has recorded 342, Vijayapura has 228 and Kalaburagi reported 213 till date. However, the fatality rate is low in all the districts.”
Otolaryngologist Dr Latha Devi, head of the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat at BLDEA’s Shri B M Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, said, “Two types of doses are used for the treatment of fungal infection, one is Liposomal Amphotericin B, which costs Rs 8,000 per vial and has no side effects and another is Lyophilised Amphotericin B, which costs Rs 400 per vial and affects kidney functioning. An infected patient needs anywhere between 60 to 70 vials during the treatment.”