Hyderabad: Industries and IT Minister K T Rama Rao on Wednesday set his focus on gearing up the machinery to provide effective medicare for black fungus, a rare but fatal infection being increasingly found in people who have already been treated or undergoing treatment for Covid.
The minister, who himself recovered from Covid, chaired the first meeting of the task force set up by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to ensure smooth and adequate supply of oxygen and medicines used in Covid containment. The minister’s foresight with regard to black fungus comes in the wake of the Centre and states failing to anticipate and gear up to handle the surge of second wave of Covid. Sources told this correspondent that the minister was keen to procure medicines required for treating black fungus in advance and sensitise people and the health fraternity over the infection. He was of the view that it would be better to take all precautions rather than addressing the issue after it was blown into a crisis, sources said adding that the action plan was already set in motion.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, the minister exuded confidence that the 10-day lockdown would further help to bring down the severity of Covid and appealed to people to cooperate with the government in wriggling the state out of the crisis at the earliest.
Rao said the situation in the state was under control, be it availability of beds, oxygen, essential medicines and treatment. “We are far better in Covid management compared to several other states and it is pertinent to note the observation of the Union health minister that Telangana is among the states which have been witnessing flattening of Covid curve,” he said.
Rao had repeatedly stressed that there was no shortage of beds or medicines but cautioned people as well as doctors against excess use of medicines which would turn counterproductive. “There are adequate stocks of Remdesivir and we have been requesting the Centre to enhance allocation in view of the influx of patients from other states. The audit of oxygen use revealed that some private hospitals were using more quantities than required, he said, adding that officials had been directed to ensure optimum use of oxygen as well as medicines.
The minister said based on the instructions of the Chief Minister, all ministers held reviews in their respective districts and would be constantly monitoring the situation. Referring to excess use of medicines, the minister said patients’ anxiety and doctors’ excess use of medicines or oxygen had been leading to artificial scarcity which the task force was keen to arrest.
Apparently, to lift spirits of Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, who received a flak from the High Court, the IT minister said the former had been making determined efforts to control the spread of the virus and provide best medicare to people.
