FG to Supply Anti-Snake Venom to Four Benue Hospitals

The Federal Government has approved four health facilities in Benue State as designated snakebite treatment centres, with plans to supply them with government-procured anti-snake venom. The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this while briefing ministry officials in Makurdi on Tuesday, describing the approval as a major step towards expanding access to life-saving care and supporting Governor Hyacinth Alia’s free snakebite treatment initiative. The designated facilities are General Hospital, Katsina-Ala, in Zone A; University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, and General Hospital, Gboko, in Zone B; and General Hospital, Otukpo, in Zone C.

Ogwuche said health professionals at the centres would receive specialised training in snakebite envenoming management under the Federal Neglected Tropical Diseases Envenoming Programme. He said the initiative was expected to reduce treatment costs and improve access to timely care, particularly for farmers and rural residents exposed to snakebites. The commissioner also acknowledged the collaboration between federal and state authorities, while the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, James Iorpuu, disclosed that the agency had spent more than ₦160 million treating internally displaced persons for snakebites in the preceding six months. Displaced people living in overcrowded camps remain among the vulnerable groups the initiative is expected to benefit.

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