The Nigerian Senate has issued a sweeping directive mandating all public and private hospitals across the country to stock and make available essential antidotes, particularly snake anti-venom.
This urgent move follows the tragic death of Abuja-based singer, Ifunanya Nwangene.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio gave the directive during Tuesday’s plenary, describing the incident as a wake-up call for the nation’s emergency healthcare system.
“The death of a young Nigerian in the nation’s capital highlights serious gaps in our healthcare system. Hospitals must be prepared for emergencies. Anti-venom is not optional; it is essential,” Akpabio stated.
The resolutions followed a motion sponsored 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 Senate specifically urged the Federal Ministry of Health and relevant agencies to develop and enforce national guidelines for minimum stock levels of antidotes. It also called for immediate audits of hospitals by state governments to ensure compliance.
Senator Adebule, in her presentation, highlighted the constitutional mandate for the state to provide adequate health facilities. “A significant number of public and private hospitals across Nigeria do not stock essential life-saving antidotes such as antivenoms… leading to dangerous delays in treatment, unnecessary referrals, and preventable loss of lives,” she said.
The Upper Chamber further urged regulatory bodies to make stocking these antidotes a mandatory condition for hospital licensing and accreditation. It also called for nationwide public sensitization on the importance of seeking prompt medical help after incidents like snakebites.
In a related preventive measure, the Senate directed the Federal Ministry of Housing to strengthen the National Building Code to mandate Non-Return Valves in construction, to block snakes and rodents from entering buildings via drainage.
The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of the late Ifunanya Nwangene, whose death has sparked national outrage and renewed calls for healthcare reform.
