Let Ayushman cover black fungus: Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Saturday urged PM Narendra Modi to include mucormycosis (black fungus) in the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme for the poor as she underlined unpreparedness in fighting the new disease and the shortage of a vital drug required for its treatment.
In a letter to Modi, she said the Centre has asked states to declare mucormycosis as an epidemic under the Epidemic Diseases Act, which implies that there must be adequate production of medicines and cost-free patient care. She also noted that there are reports of shortage of Liposomal Amphotericin-B, which is essential to treat this infection. Sonia said the disease is also not covered under Ayushman Bharat and other schemes.
“I would request you to kindly take immediate action on this matter to bring relief to the large number of patients being afflicted by mucormycosis,” she wrote.