Wetin dey happen, my people? The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) don burst una ear with serious gist. Dem don call on Federal Government make dem provide free antivenom for all Nigerians!
Na so e be, if dem no do am, plenty people go dey risk una life. According to di ACPN chairman, Ambrose Eze, hundreds of people dey die every year from snakebite and na wetin dem sabi say fit prevent. As e stand now, dem don record over 20,000 snakebite cases for Nigeria every year, and about 1,700 of dem dey permanently disabled. No be small wahala o!
Dem talk say e get one singer wey just die from snake bite, Ifunanya Nwangene, and this one don open eye of many people. E make dem realize say our healthcare system full with delays. If person travel far to find antivenom, e fit late pass them. E don happen before, and e fit still dey happen again. Wey Omo Naija go do?
ACPN dey push for local production of antivenom. Dem want make our own people dey fit get di treatment wey dem suppose get, without all di wahala wey dey follow importation. Na $12 million dey needed to set up di factory wey go fit produce di medicine right here for Naija. E no go make sense make we dey spend di same money wey we fit use to build facility just to import wetin we fit produce by ourselves.
Dem don also advocate for make antivenom dey part of national health insurance. Make una think am, treating snakebite go cost around N40,000, and many poor people no fit afford dat kind money. This one fit end una family member life because of snakebite. Dat one no go fine!
Ambrose Eze no just stop there, he also talk about di “referral trap” wey dey make person dey suffer before dem fit get treatment. E urge government to work with traditional rulers and local healers, so if snakebite happen, dem go fit carry di person go hospital without wahala. Make dem no go de waste time on dangerous traditional practices like using “black stones” wey no go help.
Wetin I wan talk be say, if government fit open dia eyes and do wetin dem suppose do, many lives fit save. Naija fit come out dis cycle of avoidable deaths wey dey worry us. The future go better if dem fit work together.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
