The Federal Government has approved four health facilities in Benue State as snakebite treatment centres, with government-procured anti-snake venom expected to be supplied to the designated hospitals.
The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing officials of the ministry at the state secretariat in Makurdi.
He said the approved facilities were spread across the state’s three senatorial districts, adding that the development would improve access to life-saving treatment.
Ogwuche said: “I am glad to announce to you that the Federal Government has approved four health facilities across the three senatorial districts of the state as snakebite treatment centres.
“The approval marks a significant step towards expanding access to life-saving treatment and advancing the state’s free snakebite treatment agenda under the administration of His Excellency, Governor Hyacinth Alia.”
The commissioner listed the designated facilities as General Hospital, Katsina-Ala, in Zone A; University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, and General Hospital, Gboko, both in Zone B; and General Hospital, Otukpo, in Zone C.
He added that healthcare professionals at the centres would receive specialised training in managing snakebite envenoming to improve their capacity to provide timely and effective care.
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Ogwuche commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, saying the federal approval demonstrated the importance of collaboration between the two levels of government in addressing public health challenges.
He said: “The federal approval demonstrates the value of collaboration between the state and federal governments in addressing critical public health challenges.
“Under the Federal Neglected Tropical Diseases Envenoming Programme, the designated centres are expected to receive government-procured anti-snake venom supplies, helping to reduce the financial burden of treatment on victims and supporting the implementation of the state’s free snakebite treatment initiative.”
The commissioner reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working with relevant federal agencies and health institutions to improve healthcare access across the state.
He said free snakebite treatment would particularly benefit farmers and rural communities, where encounters with snakes can threaten lives, livelihoods and household incomes.
Ogwuche added that Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration aimed to ensure that no resident lost their life or suffered financial hardship because they could not afford essential snakebite treatment.
Benue is largely agrarian, with a significant proportion of its population engaged in farming, leaving many residents, especially those in rural areas, vulnerable to snakebites. Displaced people living in overcrowded camps are also among the most vulnerable groups.
The Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, James Iorpuu, disclosed last weekend that the agency had spent more than N160m treating internally displaced persons for snakebites over the past six months.
The approval is expected to strengthen efforts by the federal and state governments to improve access to treatment and protect residents’ lives and livelihoods.
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