Abuja – Pharmacists under the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) have called on the Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to urgently provide free antivenom drugs to Nigerians in order to curb the rising deaths from snakebite across the country.
The association made the call while reacting to the death of Abuja-based singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died after being bitten by a snake.
Speaking in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Monday, ACPN National Chairman, Pharmacist Ambrose Eze, disclosed that snakebite claims about 2,000 preventable lives annually in Nigeria, describing the situation as a neglected public health emergency.
According to Eze, Nigeria records over 20,000 snakebite cases every year, with about 1,700 victims suffering permanent disabilities, including limb amputations, largely due to delayed access to care and the high cost of antivenom drugs.
“The death of Ms. Nwangene at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, highlights the deep systemic gaps in snakebite management,” Eze said, noting that although antivenom was reportedly administered, challenges such as referral delays and stock-outs in health facilities remain widespread.
He urged the Federal Government to fully include antivenom drugs under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to subsidize the average treatment cost of about ₦40,000, which he described as unaffordable for most rural Nigerians.
The ACPN chairman also called for government support for local production of antivenoms, stressing that access to life-saving treatment should not be determined by income or location.
“Every Nigerian life matters. Snakebite envenoming must be treated with the urgency it deserves,” he added.
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