The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution urging both federal and state authorities to strengthen emergency medical preparedness by ensuring the mandatory stocking of antivenoms and other life-saving antidotes in hospitals across the country. The call reflects growing concern that systemic gaps in emergency healthcare are contributing to avoidable deaths from snakebites and other envenomation cases.
The resolution arose from 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.”
At the heart of the Senate’s concern is the late Ifunanya Nwangene, a budding Abuja-based singer whose death after a snakebite over the weekend sparked widespread grief and debate about emergency healthcare readiness. According to reports, Nwangene was bitten by a snake and reportedly sought urgent care at several facilities before she died, with allegations emerging that antivenom was unavailable when she first sought help.
Her passing was confirmed in a social media statement signed by Sam Ezugwu, Music Director of her choir, and quickly fuelled public outrage as videos and accounts circulated describing the circumstances of her deterioration.
During proceedings, Senator Adebule lamented that Nigeria continues to record a disturbing rise in medical emergencies requiring immediate intervention, including snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning, and drug overdoses. She said these conditions “require the immediate administration of specific antidotes and emergency medicines” and that failure to provide them can lead to unnecessary fatalities and irreversible complications.
“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 said in her motion.
Citing the World Health Organization’s classification of snakebite envenoming as a neglected tropical disease, Adebule stressed the importance of timely access to safe and effective antivenoms, particularly in countries like Nigeria where such incidents are common.
Senators expressed concern that many hospitals, both public and private, do not stock essential life-saving antidotes or maintain adequate quantities, forcing patients into dangerous “hospital-to-hospital” searches during critical moments. “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,” Adebule said.
To address these gaps, the Senate passed a series of recommendations and mandates.
This includes, “Federal and state governments should establish coordinated emergency referral and response systems linking public and private hospitals to ensure rapid access to life-saving medicines. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), was urged to ensure the procurement, quality assurance, proper storage and nationwide availability of safe, effective and affordable antivenoms and critical antidotes, particularly for high-risk regions.”
Also they also provides series of recommendation, “State ministries of health and hospital management boards are to conduct audits of public and private hospitals to assess compliance with antidote-stocking standards. Adding, Professional and regulatory bodies were mandated to strengthen emergency response protocols and require periodic training for healthcare workers on the proper administration of antidotes.”
The Senate also called for making the stocking of essential antidotes a mandatory requirement for licensing and accreditation of private hospitals, as well as ensuring adequate budgetary provisions for public hospitals.
Additionally, Senators asked the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to enhance the National Building Code with measures like Non-Return Valves to prevent snakes and rodents from entering buildings, addressing part of the broader public safety ecosystem.
A minute of silence was observed in the Senate chamber in honour of the late Ifunanya Nwangene midway through Tuesday’s proceedings, underscoring the tragic human cost that catalysed the urgent debate.
The Senate’s resolution signals a renewed legislative focus on emergency healthcare infrastructure and anticipates collaboration with executive agencies to prevent future avoidable deaths, not only from snakebites but other critical medical emergencies that hinge on timely access to antidotes and specialised care.
