Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the assured supply of essential medicines for the treatment of mucormycosis (black fungus) and cost-free care to those affected.

In a letter to the prime minister, she also pointed out that the illness is not covered under Ayushman Bharat and most other health insurance plans and sought immediate action on the issue.

Gandhi said the government had asked states to declare mucormycosis an epidemic under the Epidemic Diseases Act. This would mean that there must be adequate production and assured supply of essential medicines to treat it, and cost-free patient care for those in need of treatment, she added.

"I understand that Liposomal Amphotericin-B is absolutely essential for the treatment of Mucormycosis. However, there are reports of its acute scarcity in the market," the Congress chief wrote in the letter.

"Further, the illness is not covered in Ayushman Bharat and most other health insurance products. I would request you to kindly take immediate action on this matter to bring relief to the large number of patients being affected by Mucormycosis," she told the prime minister.

The Congress chief's request comes at a time when the country is seeing a large number of cases of black fungus and even some deaths.