Rotary donates N13.6 million price of anti-snake venom to Gombe hospital
The Rotary Club of Kaltungo, in partnership with Rotary International, has donated anti-snake venom price N13.6 million to the Snakebite Treatment and Research Centre in Kaltungo, Gombe State.
This donation comes as a response to the acute scarcity of anti-snake venom within the hospital, which has impacted its skill to successfully deal with sufferers in want.
Explaining the circumstances behind the donation, Mr. Samaila Mohammed, the fast previous President of the Rotary Club of Kaltungo, highlighted how a go to by the Rotary District Governor uncovered the hospital’s pressing wants.
“During his visit to the hospital, the District Governor donated some items and was told about the hospital’s struggles due to the acute shortage of anti-snake venom, the Rotary Club quickly reached out to Rotary International, which made this donation possible,” Mohammed said
Treatment demand
Dr. Nicholas Hamman, Chief Medical Officer of the hospital, advocated for a broader response from the federal authorities, noting that the Kaltungo Hospital treats a median of two,600 snakebite circumstances yearly, making it the biggest snakebite remedy heart in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Dr. Hamman, additionally expressed deep gratitude for the donation, emphasizing its significance to native farmers and rural sufferers who steadily encounter snakes of their each day actions. “This is a ‘lifeline’ for many rural patients who are predominantly peasant farmers that often encounter snakes in the fields,” he stated.
- He urged for funding in native manufacturing of anti-snake venom, which might assist scale back prices and make the remedy extra accessible nationwide.
“We are committed to ensuring accountability and have asked Rotary representatives to monitor the distribution and use of the anti-snake venom to prevent misappropriation,” Hamman added, affirming the hospital’s dedication to moral practices.
Nationwide scarcity and excessive prices
Providing additional context, Mr. Mohammed Ndus, former Assistant Governor of Rotary International District 9127, famous {that a} nationwide scarcity of anti-snake venom has been exacerbated by the excessive price of the medicine.
“When sourced from unofficial channels, a vial is N200,000. At the proper channel, a vial is about N170,000,” Ndus defined, including that the donation of 80 vials will provide fast reduction to the hospital’s sufferers.
The Kaltungo Local Government Chairman, Iliya Suleiman, recommended Rotary’s contribution and inspired different organizations to comply with go well with.
“Aside from anti-snake venom, the hospital faces other critical challenges such as inadequate power supply,” he stated, noting that he has initiated discussions with the Commissioner of Local Government to seek out sustainable options to those infrastructure points.
