New Delhi: Amid an acute shortage of Amphotericin-B, used to treat the rare fungal infections many Covid patients are now contracting, an 80-year-old Mucormycosis patient's granddaughter has now approached the Delhi High Court, seeking the drug, for which they have been running pillar to post for days.
While hearing the petition, the Delhi High Court directed Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where the patient is currently admitted, to explain how the drug allocated to them is being distributed and how many black fungus patients are currently being treated there.
The high court was informed that the hospital has been provided with 360 vials of Amphotericin B, the injection administered to patients for treating Mucormycosis (black fungus), by the Delhi government last night but it had run out of stocks.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh asked the hospital to explain on Thursday how it is using and distributing the medicine among the patients and file a report by May 26.
The woman, who had on Monday said they had not received a single vial of the medicine for last five days due to which he has undergone two surgeries and possibly the third one might take place on Tuesday, informed the court that with the efforts of counsel for Centre and Delhi government, the patient got six vials and they were administered the medicine but they still need more.
On the court's direction, one of the doctors of the hospital joined the proceeding and informed that they don't have only one patient but many and they have to administer the medicine as per the patient's condition and requirement and that they have distributed all the 360 vials.
The court said if any more vial is available with the hospital, it be given to the woman lawyer's grandfather, whose eye has swollen since morning and is in great pain.
After hearing the submissions of the Delhi government's counsel that there could be few unallocated vials left with the state, the court said in case there is any unallocated stock of the injection lying with the drug controller, it should be used for the treatment of this man.
Delhi government's counsel told the court that on Monday they had 670 vials of the medicine and after distributing to hospitals, four were remaining. Out of today's stock of 400, the state has distributed 396 and four are left.
As of Monday, there were 475 cases of black fungus in Delhi.