By Fatima Saka
Abuja—The Senate on Tuesday took decisive steps to address rising preventable deaths from snakebites, poisoning and other medical emergencies, as it adopted far-reaching resolutions mandating the availability of life-saving antidotes in public and private hospitals across Nigeria.
The resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Idiat Adebule (Lagos West), who drew the Senate’s attention to what she described as an urgent matter of national public importance: the dangerous gaps in emergency preparedness and access to critical antidotes in health facilities nationwide.
Leading the debate, Senator Adebule warned that Nigeria continues to record increasing cases of snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning, drug overdose and other forms of envenomation, many of which result in avoidable deaths due to delays in administering specific antidotes. She cited the tragic death of Ms. Ifunanya Lucy Nwagene, who reportedly died after a snakebite despite seeking medical help, as a stark example of systemic failure.
She noted that the World Health Organization has classified snakebite envenomation as a neglected tropical disease and stressed that timely access to safe and effective antivenoms is critical, particularly in high-risk countries like Nigeria. The senator further anchored her motion on constitutional provisions obligating governments at all levels to ensure the welfare and health of citizens.
Supporting the motion, several senators recounted personal experiences and constituency realities, especially in rural communities where victims often travel long distances in search of antivenoms during the critical “golden hour.” They described the situation as unacceptable and called for proactive government action to prevent further loss of lives.
After extensive deliberations, the Senate unanimously adopted a series of resolutions, urging the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through relevant agencies, to develop and enforce national guidelines prescribing minimum stock levels of essential antidotes and emergency medicines in designated public and private hospitals.
The Senate also mandated the ministry, in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to ensure procurement, quality assurance, proper storage and nationwide availability of safe, effective and affordable antivenoms, with priority attention to high-risk regions.
State governments, through their ministries of health and hospital management boards, were directed to conduct immediate audits of public and private hospitals to ascertain compliance with approved antidote stocking and emergency preparedness standards. Professional and regulatory bodies were also tasked with strengthening emergency response standards and ensuring periodic training of healthcare workers on the administration of antidotes.
In addition, the Senate called for the establishment of coordinated emergency referral and response systems linking public and private hospitals to guarantee timely access to life-saving medicines. It further resolved that stocking of essential antidotes should become a mandatory condition for licensing, registration and renewal of accreditation of private hospitals.
The lawmakers also directed the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation Agency to launch a nationwide public awareness campaign on the importance of prompt hospital presentation after snakebites, poisoning and envenomation, warning against delays in seeking medical care.
In a related move, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to strengthen building regulations under the National Building Code by making non-return valves mandatory in drainage systems to prevent rodents and snakes from entering buildings.
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As a mark of respect, the Senate observed a minute’s silence in honour of the late Ms. Nwagene and resolved to formally condole with her family.
Lawmakers described the resolutions as a critical step toward strengthening Nigeria’s emergency healthcare system and preventing needless deaths, stressing that “health is wealth” and that avoidable fatalities must no longer be tolerated.
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