State to ready action plan to curb snakebite deaths

Bhubaneswar: The Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR-RMRC) here on Wednesday hosted a brainstorming session to finalise a ‘state action plan' for snakebite incidents. The initiative aims to address the critical challenge of snakebites, which continue to claim lives, particularly in rural and tribal regions. Odisha reported around 1,000 cases of snakebite every year, sources said.

"The brainstorming session has brought together key stakeholders to consolidate inputs. Experts deliberated on the critical components of the action plan and outlined a comprehensive path forward for effective snakebite management in Odisha, as it is a high-burden state for snakebite," said Dr Srikanta Kanungo, scientist and nodal officer for the master of public health programme at ICMR-RMRC.

Participants focused on five themes, including engaging and empowering communities, effective, speedy and timely treatment for snakebite victims, capacity building and collaborative effort for grassroots level workers, and reporting and data collection.

Director of public health Dr Nilakantha Mishra said, "The govt is worried about the increase in the number of snakebite deaths in the state. We are in the process of creating awareness on snakebite so that people will seek medical attention without delay. We are also empowering the health system so that snakebite victims get appropriate treatment. We have set a target to reduce the number of deaths by 50% before 2030."

Emphasising the need for free and timely treatment for snakebite victims, Subhendu Mallik, general secretary of Snake Helpline, said, "If the first 4-5 days can be managed free of cost in private hospitals also, people will go to the first hospital with ICU facilities instead of a govt hospital, wasting precious time during the golden hour. Our govt is providing Rs 4 lakh compensation per each snakebite death. Why not then provide Rs 50,000- Rs 60,000 in the first 4-5 days and save the life of the snakebite victim?"

Kanungo said, "We are expecting the state action plan to be ready before the monsoon so that many lives can be saved."