Black Fungus: PIL in Bombay HC seeks direction for protocol, arrangements at Goa Medical College

The petitioner sought the Court's direction to the State of Goa, State Disaster Management Authority, Stata Executive Committee, North Goa DDMA, South Goa DDMA, Goa Association of Pediatrics, Association of Private Nursing Homes, Union of India, Directorate of Health Services and Goa Medical College and Hospital to ensure that all the arrangements including medicine, doctors and paramedical staff are available at Goa Medical College, COVID health centres, and 21 COVID hospitals to hold a proper fight against black fungus.

The petitioner submitted that Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, should be treated as an epidemic as defined under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The petitioner mentioned that already 6 to 7 members have contracted black fungus and government must start making arrangements at war footing. The counsel for the petitioner including Advocates Shivan Desai, Jatin Ramaiya, and J George also urged the court to issue direction for urgently procuring essential medicines including Amphotericin B which is used for treating black fungus.

As per a recent media report in Live Law, Mapusa Advocates Forum with around 400 members moved the high court with the plea and submitted that and an advisory committee of experts or task force should be immediately constituted to evaluate and study the effect of ivermectin on the Covid-19 infections and to see if the medicine has any side effect on a healthy person. The members suggested that until the effect of the medication is confirmed on a healthy person, the concerned authorities should be barred from administering ivermectin on healthy patients.

Expressing concerns regarding the absence of properly organized protocols which are the need of the hour to ensure proper detection of the black fungus in the state, the petitioner also pointed out the lack of pediatric facilities in the state of Goa. The members shed light on the fact that at Goa Medical College have a "direct correlation with the inevitable third wave."

According to LiveLaw, the plea mentioned,

Besides laying stress on the formulation of the protocols for early detection and prevention of the black fungus, the petitioner also demanded prompt circulation of the said protocols on quarantined patients as well as other patients of PHCs, CHCs, UHCs, Covid Hospitals, and other medical facilities. Moreover, the petitioner demanded that authorities should take action to provide adequate staff including doctors, specialists, nurses and other paramedical staff and medicines at the Goa Medical Colleges, CHCs, UHCs, PHCs and particularly, at 21 Covid Hospitals to combat black fungus, reports the daily.

Taking cognizance of the probable requirement of medical facilities and infrastructures which may surface in the future owing to the third wave, the plea further sought direction to ensure that there no scarcity of PICU and NICU along general-wards beds dedicated to children and/or minors and dedicated medical facilities along with infrastructure.