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The Nigerian Senate has urged the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to formulate and enforce national guidelines requiring designated public and private hospitals to maintain minimum stock levels of essential antidotes and emergency medicines across Nigeria.
The call followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Adebule Idiat Oluranti (APC, Lagos West), which highlighted the urgent need for both federal and state governments to ensure the availability, accessibility, and proper stocking of life-saving antidotes nationwide.
While moving the motion, Idiat, a former Lagos State deputy governor, noted that Nigeria continues to record a rise in medical emergencies such as snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning, drug overdoses and other forms of envenomation.
The Senate expressed deep concern over the reported death of Miss Ifunanya Nwangene, who allegedly died after a snakebite in Abuja.
Lawmakers described the incident as tragic and preventable, saying it exposed serious shortcomings in emergency preparedness and the availability of antidotes in both public and private healthcare facilities.
As part of its resolutions, the Senate called on health regulatory agencies to make the stocking of essential antidotes a compulsory condition for the licensing, registration, and renewal of accreditation of private hospitals. It also urged the government to ensure adequate budgetary allocations and efficient supply systems for public hospitals.
In addition, the Senate directed the Federal Ministry of Information and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to carry out nationwide awareness campaigns on the need for prompt hospital treatment after snakebites, poisoning, and other envenomation incidents, as well as the dangers of delayed medical care.
Ifunanya Nwangene, an Abuja-based singer popularly known as Nanyah, reportedly died after sustaining a snakebite at her residence on Saturday.
She was said to have sought emergency care at two hospitals but allegedly did not receive treatment due to the reported absence of anti-snake venom.
