India / Govt should clarify: Rahul seeks Centre's response on black fungus

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday sought the Central government's response on Black fungus and asked what measures it has taken to tackle the epidemic.

He took to his official Twitter handle and asked, "Central Government should clarify about the Black fungus epidemic -

1. What is being done for Amphotericin B drug shortage?

2. What is the procedure for getting this medicine to the patient?

3. Instead of giving treatment, why is the Modi government implicating the public in formalities?"

Rahul Gandhi's comments have come a day after the Delhi High Court asked the Centre and Delhi government to come out with a policy on distribution of Amphotericin-B, used for treating black fungus patients, and take the "cruel decision" of excluding certain age group or class of people till the drug is in shortage.

The bench asked them not to leave the decision to the doctors and form a clear policy in this regard and told the counsel for the Centre and Delhi government to come back with instructions on Tuesday.

Citing an example, it said that if there are two patients - one is 80-year-old and other is 35-year-old - and there is only one dose of medicine then it should be given to whom.

"That's a bullet you have to take it" and "you have to take this cruel decision" which is not at all an easy task, said a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh, making it clear that it was not at all saying life of any person is less important than another.

It said it is an issue which neither Centre nor state government can duck and it is a decision that the political leadership will have to take in consultation with medical experts without leaving it only to doctors who may face the wrath of the patients' relatives.