Mumbai, May 25 (IANS): With the number of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus cases on the rise in Maharashtra, the state will get 60,000 vials of the Amphotericin B injection early June, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said here on Tuesday.

The government has issued a global tender for this injection and it is expected to be available by June first week, said Tope after a review meeting of the Covid-19 and Mucormycosis situation in the state presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

He said that presently, the state has recorded 2,245 patients with the Black Fungus and there are over 100 deaths till date.

The cost of the Amphotericin-B injection used to treat this disease is very high and its distribution is controlled by the Centre.

However, the state government has issued a global tender to make these injections widely available in Maharashtra, and the batch of 60,000 vials will reach here within a few more days.

Presently, Amphotericin B injection is being supplied by the Central Government and is being distributed to the districts according to the number of Black Fungus patients.

Accordingly, all district collectors have been directed to ensure that he updated information of the Black Fungus patients is provided on the IDSP portal, Tope said.

He pointed out that Mycormycosis has been declared as a notifiable disease by the Maharashtra government last week and now each patient would be recorded.

The state has announced it will cover the treatment costs of all Black Fungus patients under the central and state schemes at designated hospitals in all districts, while the government plans to impose a cap on the treatment costs by private hospitals, the minister said.

Currently, around 1,007 patients are being given free treatment under the state scheme in government hospitals, Tope said.