The Senate has called on the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to develop and enforce national guidelines mandating minimum stock levels of essential antidotes and emergency medicines in designated public and private hospitals across Nigeria
The Senate also urged state governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to establish coordinated emergency referral and response systems linking public and private hospitals, following growing concerns over avoidable deaths arising from poorly handled medical emergencies.
Lawmakers said the proposed system would ensure rapid access to life-saving medicines, particularly during emergencies such as snakebites, scorpion stings, poisoning and drug overdoses, where delays often prove fatal.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule (APC, Lagos West), titled “Urgent Need for the Federal and State Governments to ensure adequate stocking, availability, and access to life-saving antidotes and emergency medicines in Public and Private Hospitals across Nigeria.”
The motion was prompted by public outrage over the death of a rising Abuja-based singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died after suffering a snakebite and being unable to access antivenom treatment promptly.
The Senate expressed grave concern over the reported death of Miss Ifunanya Nwangene, who passed on following a snakebite in Abuja.
Lawmakers described the incident as tragic and avoidable, stating that it exposed serious gaps in emergency preparedness and the availability of antidotes in both public and private hospitals across the country.
As part of its resolutions, the Senate called on health regulatory authorities to make the stocking of essential antidotes a mandatory requirement for the licensing, registration, and renewal of accreditation of private hospitals, while also ensuring adequate budgetary provisions and efficient supply mechanisms for public hospitals.
The Senate also directed the Federal Ministry of Information and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to embark on nationwide public sensitization campaigns on the importance of prompt hospital presentation after snakebites, poisoning, and other forms of envenomation, as well as the dangers associated with delayed medical treatment
