- The minister of health, Isaac Adewole, faults reports that anti-snake venom is unavailable in the country
- He states that the inability of some states to get supply of anti-venom is due to their failure to comply with the new procedure of request.
- Adewole says five states that requested for anti-venom have been given vials for the treatment of victims in the last four months
The federal government has denied reports that it has ran out of stock of anti-snake venom for the treatment of snake bite victims in the country.
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The minister of health, Isaac Adewole, who made the denial, said the health ministry still had some vials of anti-snake venom stocked from the 2016 procurement from which states and other treatment centres were issued upon request, The Nation reports.
He however stated that the inability of some states to get supply of anti-venom was due to their failure to comply with the new procedure of request.
He said five states that requested for anti-venom had been given vials for the treatment of victims in the last four months.
The minister explained this year’s procurement may have had some hitches because the funding was mistakenly transferred to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA).
He urged states with record of snakebites to invest in the procurement of anti-snake venom for their people.
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“The Federal Government is, however, working on Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for local production of anti-snake bite venom which will make the product available affordable and accessible,” the minister said.
NAIJ.com had earlier reported that Two hundred and fifty victims of snake bite have died in the last three weeks in Plateau and Gombe states, following an acute scarcity of snake anti-venom drug in the country.
The figure represents the number of confirmed deaths from three snake treatment centres – General Hospital, Kaltungo, Ali Mega Pharm*cy, Gombe and Comprehensive Medical Centre, Zamko, Plateau State.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited the three medical outfits, met other victims in critical situations, with some of them left on bare floors as the doctors said they were helpless without the anti-venom.
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Source: Naija.ng