Follow Us on Google
From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Senate has asked state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration to put coordinated emergency referral and response frameworks in place, linking both public and private hospitals, amid concerns over rising deaths from poorly managed medical emergencies.
This resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Idiat Oluranti Adebule 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.”
It was anchored on widespread public outrage over the recent death of an Abuja-based fast-rising singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died after suffering a snakebite and being unable to access antivenom treatment on time.
Lawmakers said the proposed system would guarantee swift access to critical, life-saving medicines during emergencies such as snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning and drug overdoses, where delays in treatment are often fatal.
The incident gained national attention over the weekend after her church choir confirmed her death in a Facebook statement signed by its Music Director, Sam Ezugwu. Reports alleged that Nwangene visited two hospitals in search of urgent care but was turned away due to the non-availability of antivenom.
However, the management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja, where she was later taken, stated that its medical personnel made concerted efforts to save her life, but were unsuccessful.
Presenting the motion, Senator Adebule lamented what she described as alarming gaps in hospital preparedness, noting that Nigeria continues to record an increase in medical emergencies that require immediate intervention.
“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 in order to prevent avoidable deaths and irreversible health complications,” she said.
She further stated: “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.”
Adebule reminded the Senate that the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies snakebite envenoming as a neglected tropical disease, stressing the need for timely access to safe and effective antivenoms, particularly in countries like Nigeria where such cases are prevalent.
She expressed concern that many hospitals across the country either do not stock essential antidotes or maintain grossly inadequate quantities, a situation she said leads to dangerous treatment delays, needless referrals and avoidable deaths.
Other News
The senator added that, “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.”
According to her, the absence of mandatory antidote-stocking requirements, weak enforcement mechanisms in public hospitals, poor supply chain systems, high costs of antidotes and lack of standard emergency response protocols continue to undermine effective emergency healthcare delivery nationwide.
She said the Senate was “convinced that enforcing the mandatory availability, adequate stocking, and equitable distribution of essential antidotes and emergency medicines in both public and private hospitals will significantly reduce preventable deaths, improve emergency response outcomes, and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system.”
Following deliberations, the Senate called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to ensure the procurement, quality assurance, proper storage and nationwide availability of safe, effective and affordable antivenoms and other critical antidotes, with priority attention given to high-risk regions.
Lawmakers also urged state governments, through their ministries of health and hospital management boards, to immediately conduct audits of public and private hospitals to determine compliance with antidote-stocking and emergency preparedness standards.
In addition, the Senate mandated relevant professional and regulatory bodies to strengthen emergency response protocols and ensure periodic training of healthcare workers on the proper administration of antidotes.
The upper chamber further called on health regulatory authorities to make the stocking of essential antidotes a mandatory condition for the licensing, registration and renewal of accreditation of private hospitals, while ensuring adequate budgetary provisions and supply mechanisms for public hospitals.
The Senate also directed the Federal Ministry of Information and the National Orientation Agency to embark on nationwide public sensitisation campaigns on the importance of prompt hospital presentation after snakebites and other poisoning incidents, as well as the dangers associated with delayed medical treatment.
Lawmakers equally urged the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to strengthen provisions of the National Building Code by making non-return valves mandatory in buildings to prevent snakes and rodents from entering homes through drainage systems.
The Senate thereafter observed a minute of silence in honour of the late Ifunanya Nwangene.
