205 Black fungus cases in Vijayapura, patients depend on private hospitals for surgery

VIJAYAPURA: In the span of one and half months as many as 205 cases of Mucormycosis have been reported in Vijayapura district but the infected are still dependent on private hospitals for surgeries.

According to the district administration, “A total of 205 cases of black fungus have been reported. Of these 56 are active, 123 have been recovered, 24 cases referred to other districts and two have succumbed battling the fungal infection.”

Among the infected, at least 170 people have gone under surgeries in the district. Of these surgeries, 99 per cent have been done in private hospitals. “As many as 53 patients with black fungus were admitted to the state-run hospitals. Of the total cases 22 people have been referred to BLDE Hospital for surgery and only 2 minor surgeries have been performed in government hospital,” claimed officials at the district civil hospital.  

Speaking to TNIE, Dr S L Lakkannavar, Resident Medical Officer at district civil hospital, said that, “The patients admitted for the treatment of fungal infections are being referred to private hospitals for surgeries because of lack of availability of specialists, medical equipment and other experts. Moreover, BLDE hospital has a medical college and many Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists available to perform surgeries. So, we are referring to BLDE hospital.”

Otolaryngologist Dr Latha Devi, head of the ENT Department at BLDEA’s Shri B M Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Center, pointed that, “In most cases of Mucormycosis, surgery is needed. If the fungal infection is detected in the first stage - it can be treated with Amphotericin B but if it is in the second stage and above, where the infection will be in the nose and eyes, the surgery has to be performed to remove the dead tissue and prevent further infection. The fatality rate is negligible but the chances of losing eyesight is high if the infection reaches the third stage. Almost all the surgeries will be successful,” added Dr Devi.  

As Black Fungus is not included under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana – the patients have to bear the expenses if the surgery is performed in private hospitals. However, the district health authorities are providing the Amphotericin B at free of cost to the patients that have been referred to the private hospitals.

Admitting the poor health infrastructure is one of the main factors to refer the fungal infected patients to private hospitals for surgeries, DC P Sunil Kumar, told TNIE that higher authorities have said that the talks are underway to procure the necessary medical equipment to perform surgeries for fungal infected patients in civil hospital.