ahmedabad gujarat has indias highest 40 load of the lethal mucormycosis infection in covid19 patients the state as per details shared by union health minister dr harsh vardhan has 2165 out of the countrys total 5424 cases of the infectious black fungushowever the game plan to deal with the fungal infection which has caught global attention amidst the pandemic seems to have created more hurdles for the patients and hospitals alike which suddenly find themselves at the mercy of the state for emergency medicine liposomal amphotericin b injections in fact there have been as many as three different updates in five days for ahmedabadbased private hospitals to get amphotericin b injections initial notification by the state government dated may 19 mentioned disbursal from svp hospital and gmers sola civil from may 20 another notification later swapped svp for lg hospital on monday the distribution channel was again as lg was dropped and hospitals were asked to mail their requests to civil hospital asarwa instead where doctors would verify the patient details and mm diagnosis and accept or reject the requisitioned drug stock after chasing these centers in vain for four days only to be told through pasted notices that drug stock was not yet available the civil hospital authorities had recieved requests for injections from seven hospitals while sola civil hospital had got requests from two districtbased hospitals all the requests are being processed said authorities several patients have lost the battle against mucormycosis due to timely want of injections the delay is costing lives of the patients said a senior administrator of a private hospital who conceded patients kin are turning the heat of their loss on them picking up fights with staff we have put eye surgeries of a dozen patients on hold as two weeks of injection therapy is needed to get clear margins between necrosis and healthy areas we advised discharge to patients but some fear they wont get a bed such insecurity over injections and beds is disturbing said a senior doctor at a leading private hospitalmeanwhile the private hospital authorities were disappointed to know that they were being sanctioned lyophilized freezedried amphotericin b instead of drug of choice lyposomal amphotericin b control is injustice to private patientsinfectious diseases specialist dr atul patel who is one of the 30authors of the global recommendations for mucormycosis treatment said liposomal amphotericin b is recommended therapy which is simply not available to private hospitals amphotericin b lyophilised injections are highly toxic and not recommended globally but in absence of drug of choice these injections should be used to save lives said dr patelhe added that emergency medicines must be available freely control of the entire stock of lifesaving drugs for mucormycosis by the government is injustice to patients at private hospitals said dr pateldr navin patel a citybased ent surgeon said surgeries for mucormycosis are on hold for the past few days due to lack of medicines it can have grave consequences for patients he said at