The Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board has strengthened the state’s healthcare safety net with the procurement and distribution of 500 doses of snake anti-venom to primary health facilities across the state.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr. Chituru Adele, disclosed this during the First Quarter Review Meeting of the Primary Health Care Task Force held at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday.
Dr. Adele said the anti-venom doses had already been distributed and were now available at designated primary health centres to handle snakebite emergencies and reduce preventable deaths.
According to him, the move is part of efforts to improve emergency response at the grassroots level and ensure that residents, especially those in rural communities, have access to life-saving treatment.
He further disclosed that the board is working in collaboration with the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme to expand health insurance enrolment for pregnant women.
The initiative, he said, is aimed at ensuring that expectant mothers have access to quality antenatal care and free delivery services in approved health facilities across the state.
Dr. Adele also revealed that the board is developing plans to widen the scope of the programme to include school children.
“Plans are underway to extend free enrolment to school children,” he said.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Professor Ngozi Nma Odu, stressed the need for transparency, trust, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders in the health sector.
She warned that a lack of trust in the system could discourage residents from enrolling in the state’s health insurance scheme.
Professor Odu therefore urged all relevant agencies and partners to be open in identifying and addressing challenges affecting the effective delivery of healthcare services.
She noted that strengthening confidence in the system would encourage wider public participation and improve access to affordable healthcare.
The procurement of the anti-venom comes months after the death of a 26-year-old Nigerian singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died in Abuja after suffering a snakebite in her apartment.
Her death was linked to delayed medical attention and the reported unavailability of anti-venom at the hospital where she was taken. The latest intervention by the Rivers State government is expected to enhance emergency preparedness and reduce fatalities from snakebite incidents, while also deepening access to maternal and child healthcare services across the state.
