The Ministry of Health has taken steps to increase the supply of anti – snake serum to rural areas.
These measures include the increase in the allocation of resources in the budget for the importation of West African Polyvalent anti-snake serum into the country and the enhancement in the quantities of the anti-snake serum sent to districts prone to cases of snake bites.
Dr Alfred Sugri Tia, a Deputy Health Minister stated this on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday when the MP for Salaga, Mumuni Alhasssan, through an urgent question, sought to know the Ministry’s plan to enhance the supply of anti-snake serum to rural districts, especially the East Gonja District.
He said the Ministry of Health had taken note of the inadequate supply of anti-snake serum and its effect on the health of the people, especially in the rural areas, where it had led to the unnecessary deaths of farmers, sheanut and kola nut collectors, among others.
According to him, the Ministry, as part of measure to address the matter, had tasked health personnel to monitor and ensure the serum is used rationally at the health facility level.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture is planning to provide protective gear in the form of hand gloves and boots to farmers in areas where the people are prone to snake bites.
The Deputy Minister said the Health Ministry was strategizing on encouraging local production of the anti-snake serums by indigenous pharmaceuticals to make it more available for the people.
Source: GNA