NEDC donates 944 vials of anti snake venoms to Gombe treatment centre
North East Development Commission (NEDC), has donated about 944 vials of anti snake venom to Gombe state Ministry of Health.
Recall that the Kaltungo Snakebite Treatment Hospital treats patients from North East states, and those from outside of Nigeria including Cameroon.
Recently, incidences of snakebites have been on the surge, with varying degrees and species on the prowl.
Other initiatives embarked by the NEDC under the Rapid Response Initiative project include; renovation of Primary Healthcare facilities in five Local Government Areas, solar power projects and equipment for the upgrade of Filiya Primary Health centre to cottage hospital.
Receiving the items during a symbolic presentation, Commissioner for Health Dr. Habu Dahiru lauded the partnership, adding that it had direct impact on the poor and vulnerable.
According to Dahiru, the donation of snakebite vials would help reduce the risk faced this season by farmers and rural dwellers, stressing that the provision of solar in key units in some selected facilities and units would lessen the challenges faced.
The Commissioner said, “Like the maternity, laboratory, emergency pediatrics unit are essential places requiring light always and the power supply has always been a problem for us especially at night when labours are received.
“We all know the menace of snakebite, this neglected tropical disease. Snake envenomation is one of the major challenges in Gombe State and it environ. If you recall the snakebite treatment centre at Kaltungo, which we are hoping will be upgraded to an institute is a place where people come in from all the neighbouring states and beyond and it has been in operation since 1950’s and patients come in from Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Taraba and plateau states. The delivery if anti snake venom over 900 has impacted positively and has reduced the death from envenomation from snakebite
Speaking earlier, Shehu Abdullahi, Gombe State Director General and Focal Person North East Development Commission, said the commission is committed to improved wellbeing of residents of the North East.
Abdullahi noted that health is a priority area if the region would attain development.
“In each of the local government the commission undertook one project per local government. Luckily, that initiative Ministry of Health got the lion share whereby five local governments. This is include, Gombe, the commission sited solar power projects.
“The commission supplied about 944 vials of anti snake venoms in our Kaltungo Snakebite Treatment Hospital. The commission also supplied equipment for the upgrading of Filiya Primary Healthcare to a cottage. The commission also renovated three PHCs under Funakaye Local Government, we also renovated another three PHCs under Nafada,” Abdullahi added.
