Chima Azubuike
The Rotary International Club of Kaltungo district has donated 80 vials of anti-snake venom to the Kaltungo Snakebite Hospital and Research Centre, Gombe State.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that the presentation made on Saturday seeks to reduce the pains of indigent community members who were mostly affected by the bites.
Puff adder and black mamba are some of the types of snakes found
in Kaltungo.
Explaining further on the reason for this gesture, Mohammed Ndus, Past Assistant Governor of Rotary International district 9127, noted that
need assessment necessitated the donation.
He said, “We realised that there’s a problem and there’s shortage of ASV and our people are suffering. There’s no drugs in fact there was no drug in the country that is why this drug is coming in late so need assessment necessitated this donation.”
Reacting to the cost implication in the procurement of the 80 vials, Ndus added, “You heard the medical personnel that received the drug say is over N12 million, this drugs in the market now if you are buying it from a proper channel is about N170,000 if you are buying through the wrong channel it could be upto N200,000 and the reason behind is because the drug is not on ground.”
He disclosed that efforts were on to partner Bayero University Kano in the local production to improve accessibility in the country, “Bayero University Kano is working on having drugs to be supplied that is partnering with a university in London on how to get this drugs. So we believe that if it comes to limelight, it is possible that the drug will be available in the near future will be available and the prices will drop. But for now, there’s absolute scarcity of it and that is why we emphasise on the accountability of the ones that we just brought,” he added.
He also noted, “We have been doing this exercise just as we do with polio. There are people that when they take this vial of Polio they empty the content then do not administer it.
“The strategies i can tell you openly is the one that has to do with the accountability of the containers. We will make sure we come to this place to check the containers that are empty and we’ve already given them a counter book that will take the register of those that will be administered with these drugs . It is possible for two patients to have one of it and get treated because of the effectiveness of the anti-snake venom.
Also, Principal Medical Officer of the centre, Dr Nicholas Hamman, lauded the club for the gesture saying that the donation would go a long way in saving lives of Nigerians.
Hamman who doubles as lead epidemiologist of the hospital noted that it was a welcome development.
He said, “With this we are bringing succour to our patients looking at the economic situation of the country and also looking at the fact that victims are of low economic class looking for means of livelihood and in the process they have been bitten by snakes. There is now desire to pursue treatment or livelihood but it’s in a way like taking a part of the problem away from them.”
Also speaking, Engineer Samaila Mohammed, Immediate Past President of Rotary Club Kaltungo, said the donation was a sequel to the district Governor’s visit to the LGA and their plea for Rotary International’s support.
He said, “We invited him here to see the patients and he came with gifts and distributed it to the patients that are on admission and he charted with them and they told him the challenges they are facing in getting drugs in the hospital particularly the anti snake venom he then challenged us to initiate process which is systemic in Rotary. So we initiated the process to access the grant of Rotary International and that is how we were able to go through the processes and get the approval and today we are presenting the drugs.”
He explained that the commitment of members makes Rotary stand out, “is a voluntary organisation is not something you are dragged into. The feeling of service or the voluntary act of service is what motivated individuals we are self motivated and we don’t need anybody to push us and we have objectives, vision and mission that we want to achieve and we move so no obstruction and the little we have we make sure that we make life comfortable for our communities,” he added.
On his part, Chairman of Kaltungo Local Government Area Iliya Suleiman, lauded the donation, stressing that it will cushion the economic challenges of his people.
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