SENATE REQUEST ANTIVENOM STOCKING IN HOSPITALS FOLLOWING DEATH OF ABUJA SINGER
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The Senate on Tuesday called on state governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to set up a coordinated system for emergency referrals and responses that connect public and private hospitals. This comes amid increasing worries about preventable deaths caused by mishandled medical emergencies.
Lawmakers stated that the proposed system would help ensure quick access to life–saving medicines, especially in emergencies such as snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning, and drug overdoses, where delays can be deadly.
The resolution was passed after the adoption of a motion introduced by Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule (APC, Lagos West), titled “Urgent Need for the Federal and State Governments to Ensure Adequate Stocking, Availability, and Access to Life-Saving Antidotes and Emergency Medicines in Public and Private Hospitals Across Nigeria.”
The motion was triggered by public anger following the death of a rising singer from Abuja, Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died after suffering a snakebite and could not get antivenom treatment in time.
Nwangene’s death went viral over the weekend after her choir confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement signed by its Music Director, Sam Ezugwu.
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Reports had alleged that she sought urgent care at two hospitals but was left untreated due to the absence of antivenom.
However, the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, where she was eventually taken, said its medical personnel made concerted efforts to save her life, but were unsuccessful.
Raising the motion, Adebule said Nigeria continues to record a disturbing rise in emergency cases requiring immediate medical intervention, lamenting that systemic gaps in hospital preparedness were costing lives.
“Nigeria continues to record increasing cases of medical emergencies, including snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning, drug overdoses, and other forms of envenomation, all of which require the immediate administration of specific antidotes and emergency medicines in both public and private hospitals to prevent avoidable deaths and irreversible health complications,” she said.
She added, “We also note with grave concern the tragic and avoidable death of Miss Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died following a snakebite in Abuja, thereby revealing serious gaps in emergency preparedness and antidote availability within public and private hospitals in Nigeria.”
The senator emphasized that the World Health Organization classifies snakebite envenoming as a neglected tropical disease and highlights the importance of timely access to safe and effective antivenoms, particularly in countries like Nigeria, where such cases are frequent.
Adebule also mentioned that the Senate is concerned about the lack of essential life–saving treatments, such as antivenoms and anti–toxins, in many public and private hospitals across Nigeria, or the insufficient quantities available, which leads to long delays in treatment, unnecessary referrals, and preventable deaths.
She also said, “We are concerned that victims of snakebites and other poisoning emergencies are frequently compelled to move from one public hospital to a private hospital, or vice versa, in search of antidotes during the critical ‘golden hour,’ thereby substantially increasing mortality and morbidity rates.”
Following the debate, the Senate called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, to ensure the procurement, quality assurance, proper storage and nationwide availability of safe, effective and affordable antivenoms and other critical antidotes, with priority given to high-risk regions.”
Lawmakers also encouraged state governments, through their health ministries and hospital management committees, to carry out immediate audits of both public and private hospitals to check if they are following the rules for keeping antidotes and being ready for emergencies.
The Senate also directed relevant professional and regulatory organizations to improve their emergency response procedures and to ensure that healthcare workers receive regular training on the correct use of antidotes.
It also urged health regulatory bodies to make it a requirement for private hospitals to stock essential antidotes as a condition for their licensing, registration, and renewal of accreditation, while making sure that public hospitals have enough funding and supply systems in place.
The Senators also asked the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to update the National Building Code by making it mandatory to install Non-Return Valves in buildings to prevent snakes and rodents from entering homes via drainage systems.
Midway through the proceedings, the Senate held a minute of silence to pay tribute to the late Ifunanya Nwangene.
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