NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JUNE 7
Tamil Nadu has allotted Rs 25 crore from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund (CMPRF) towards procurement of Amphotericin B drug and other medicines to treat black fungus-affected patients in the State. The announcement on Monday comes in the backdrop of the State government declaring the black fungus as a notified disease.
#Donate2TNCMPRF-க்கு இதுவரையிலும் ரூ.280.20 கோடி அளித்திருக்கும் நன்கொடையாளர்களுக்கு எனது மனப்பூர்வமான நன்றி!
இத்தொகையிலிருந்து #COVID19 சிகிச்சைக்காக ஏற்கனவே ரூ.141.40 கோடி ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட நிலையில், கருப்புப்பூஞ்சை சிகிச்சைக்கான மருந்துகள் வாங்கிட ரூ.25 கோடி ஒதுக்கப்படுகிறது. pic.twitter.com/3bwbfexhnp
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) June 7, 2021
According to the Medical Minister M Subramanian, the number of those infected by it stands at 921 in the State as of Sunday (June 6). “Chief Minister M K Stalin has issued orders to allocate Rs 25 crore to procure Amphotericin B and other life-saving medicines towards treatment of black fungus,” an official release said.
Stalin had urged the Union Health Ministry to allocate an adequate number of Amphotericin B drugs. “The emergence of mucormycosis aka black fungus among the patients and sufficient supply of liposomal Amphotericin B, which is being allotted by the Central government, are increasingly becoming critical issues which need urgent intervention,” Stalin had said in his letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan last week.
The government has already appealed to the public to donate to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and several individuals, industrialists and corporates have been extending their support.
“As of today (June 7), the State government has received Rs 280.20 crore funds,” the release said. According to the release, the State government has allocated Rs 50 crore towards purchase of Remdesivir medicines to treat COVID-19 affected patients, another Rs 50 crore to buy RT-PCR kits and Rs 41.40 crore to procure oxygen cylinders through State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) from Singapore and other overseas destinations.
Meanwhile, the government, in another release, said the workers of various public transport corporations have contributed their one-day salary to the Chief Minister Public Relief Fund.
About 1.20 lakh workers employed in the various transport corporations have contributed Rs 14.46 crore. A cheque for the amount was handed over to the Chief Minister by Transport Minister R S Rajakannappan. Transport department principal secretary Dayanand Kataria and senior government officials were present, the release added.
