The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the Federal Government to make antivenom freely available across the country, warning that more than 2,000 Nigerians die every year from preventable snakebite-related complications.
The appeal followed the death of Abuja-based singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died after a snakebite incident.
In a statement issued by its National Chairman, Mr Ambrose Eze, the ACPN described the loss as tragic and extended condolences to the victim’s family.
“We mourn with the family and stand in solidarity with all Nigerians who have lost loved ones,” Eze said.
He warned that snakebite envenoming remains one of Nigeria’s most neglected public health emergencies and urged the Federal Government to declare it a National Health Priority and classify it as a Neglected Tropical Disease.
According to Eze, Nigeria records at least 20,000 snakebite cases annually, leaving about 1,700 victims permanently disabled, with rural dwellers, farmers, herders, women and children bearing the heaviest burden.
He said Nwangene’s death at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, had once again highlighted serious delays in accessing lifesaving antivenom.
Eze attributed many fatalities to stock-outs and what he described as the “referral trap,” noting that these gaps expose critical weaknesses in Nigeria’s snakebite response system.
“Any delay caused by cost or lack of trained personnel can prove fatal for snakebite victims,” he warned.
Although antivenoms are listed as essential medicines, Eze lamented that snakebite-related deaths continue to rise nationwide.
The ACPN also called for a one-off federal investment of about $12 million to establish a local antivenom production facility, noting that Nigeria already spends nearly the same amount each year importing the drugs.
The association further urged the government to include antivenom treatment under the National Health Insurance Scheme to reduce the average N40,000 cost of care.
Eze criticised what he termed “administrative interference” in hospital Drug Revolving Funds, stressing that protecting the funds was key to addressing persistent medicine shortages in public health facilities.
“These systemic failures are echoed in this year’s Global Strike Out Snakebite (SOS) report, which found that 98 per cent of Nigerian healthcare workers face extreme challenges in administering treatment,” he said.
As part of an eight-point roadmap, the ACPN recommended strengthening rural primary healthcare centres for early intervention and collaborating with traditional rulers and healers to improve timely referrals.
Eze also cautioned against harmful traditional practices such as the use of “black stones,” describing them as dangerous delays that worsen outcomes.
He expressed optimism that with political will, strategic investment and coordinated action, Nigeria could drastically reduce snakebite deaths and disabilities.
“I am confident that in the near future, deaths and disabilities resulting from snakebites will become largely preventable and ultimately a thing of the past,” he said.
