Ifunanya: Senate Issues Urgent Directive to Hospitals After Celebrity's Death from Snake Bite
- The Senate urged federal and state governments to ensure hospitals nationwide stocked and made available essential antidotes like snake anti-venom and emergency medicines
- Lawmakers linked the motion to rising emergencies, including snakebites, poisoning, overdoses and scorpion stings, citing treatment delays as a major cause of avoidable deaths
- The Senate recommended tougher licensing rules for private hospitals, improved supply for public hospitals, and public sensitisation campaigns on emergency treatment
Legit.ng Journalist Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award winner, with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Senate has urged the federal and state governments to take immediate steps to ensure hospitals across the country stock life-saving antidotes such as snake anti-venom and other emergency medicines.
The call followed the reported death of rising singer Ifunanya Nwangene, who tragically lost her life from a snake bite due to delayed antivenom treatment, leading to widespread outrage in the country.
Source: Twitter
The lawmakers made the call on Tuesday after adopting a motion sponsored by Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule (APC, Lagos West), who raised concerns about the growing number of medical emergencies that require urgent intervention.
Leading the debate, Senator Adebule listed snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning cases, drug overdoses and other forms of envenomation as emergencies that often turn fatal due to delays in treatment.
She warned that when hospitals fail to provide specific antidotes on time, victims face avoidable deaths or long-term health complications.
Ifunanya’s reported death mentioned
According to Daily Trust, the senator referenced the reported death of Miss Ifunanya Nwangene, who allegedly died after being bitten by a snake in Abuja.
Adebule described the incident as a painful reminder of how gaps in Nigeria’s emergency preparedness can cost lives.
The lawmaker noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies snakebite envenoming as a neglected tropical disease.
She stressed that countries like Nigeria must prioritise timely access to safe and effective antivenoms due to how common such incidents remain.
Adebule also pointed to constitutional provisions that place responsibility on the government to safeguard citizens’ welfare.
She cited Section 17(3)(d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates the provision of adequate medical and health facilities, as well as Section 14(2)(b), which states that the welfare and security of the people is the primary purpose of government.
Senate laments lack of antidotes in hospitals
According to the motion, many hospitals—both public and private—either do not stock key antidotes such as antivenoms and anti-toxins or keep them in insufficient quantities.
The Senate noted that this often forces patients to move between hospitals during the critical “golden hour,” leading to dangerous delays, unnecessary referrals and preventable deaths.
Senate makes compulsory demand for private hospitals
After adopting the motion, the Senate urged health regulatory authorities to make the stocking of essential antidotes a compulsory requirement for licensing, registration and renewal of accreditation for private hospitals.
The lawmakers also called for improved budgetary allocation and efficient supply mechanisms to ensure public hospitals have the required emergency drugs.
Source: Facebook
The Senate further directed the Federal Ministry of Information and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to launch nationwide sensitisation campaigns.
The campaigns, lawmakers said, should educate Nigerians on the importance of going to the hospital immediately after snakebites, poisoning and other emergencies, while discouraging delayed treatment.
Senate proposes new building safety rule
In addition, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to strengthen the National Building Code.
It is recommended that the installation of Non-Return Valves (NRVs) be made mandatory in buildings to prevent rodents and snakes from entering homes through drainage systems.
Lawmakers said the measures were aimed at preventing avoidable deaths and improving Nigeria’s emergency healthcare response, especially as incidents of snakebites and poisoning continue to occur across the country.
Doctor shares why Ifunanya couldn’t survive
Legit.ng earlier reported that a doctor shared one main reason Nanyah didn’t survive the snakebite despite rushing to the hospital following the incident.
He opened people’s eyes to what really happens during a snakebite and how the effect of the venom on the victims.
The doctor also exposed what hospitals do while attending to snakebite victims, sparking mixed reactions from many.
Source: Legit.ng
