I have never liked snakes. Apart from the fact that I detest anything slippery, I also find anything that moves on its stomachs pretty suspicious. Also, the role of the snake in the story of Adam and Eve is very well known: The apple, the snake and Eve. From the good books, we know what else the snake embodies. I dare not mention its physical and spiritual traits lest it haunt me.
But for the last couple of days, I have been haunted by a rather tragic and unbelievable tale. The story of the tragic passing of a young Nigerian singer with such great prospects, cut down by a snakebite. Unbelievable but true!
Ifunanyah Nwangene, singer, soloist, and songwriter, got bitten by a snake in her apartment in Abuja and drove herself to a nearby hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, the hospital did not have anti-snake venom. Then she proceeded to the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, FCT, where, according to the hospital, they administered antivenom and began treatment immediately. However, two other parts of the medication she required to support the anti-snake venom were not available. While friends and family were purchasing the supportive medication, Nanyah, as she was popularly called, passed away.
I do not know Nanyah personally, but I would have encountered her in the choir she belonged to, which I watched severally at functions in Abuja, and I may have met her in church, as I am told she worshipped at my parish in Abuja. But whether I knew her or not, the death of one person diminishes us all. Nanyah had plans for the future, her voice sonorous and beguiling; she wanted to have her solo show later in the year. She was much loved and celebrated by family and friends. To die so young, so tragically, when she sought help where she ought and confidently so is gut-wrenching. To have the presence of mind to drive herself to two hospitals, identify what bit her and seek treatment makes her a hero by all definitions of heroism. Too many people would have neither had the presence of mind nor the resilience to keep trying to ward off death from a snake bite. Panic would have set in. She stayed on the phone with her brother, who lived abroad and called for help from friends and family. I am fully devastated by her passing.
While I may not be versed in medicine and snakebite treatments, I have a few questions that have bothered me since her passing.
According to statistics, snakebites kill one person every 5 minutes globally. Nigeria has 29 species of snake, of which 41% are venomous, which underscores the need for all the requirements for treatment, including antivenoms, to be readily available. My cousin Dr Ramatu, a public health expert who lives in the U.S., says having these in place is not optional in a tropical country like Nigeria. It should be standard.
The questions that bug me include, but are not limited to the following.
If medical practice demands that antivenom is not enough to treat a snakebite patient, why was the supporting medication unavailable? Is having anti-snake venom alone sufficient for treatment? What is the real protocol for snakebite treatment? How did the medical centre do in relation to the protocol? What did they have or not have? There were a few medical things explained about how it was not the snake bite that killed her but some other medical something or other… Someone should please illuminate this for us.
Then there is finding two snakes in her home after she was evacuated. Sad. Devastating.
The Voice alum, 26, dies of a related snakebite medical condition…Chimamanda’s son dies from alleged negligence in a hospital in Lagos.
Something has to be checked in our health management. So we can realign the nation that donates so many brilliant doctors to the UK and the US, among other countries. And back home, I have seen some fine medical personnel. Attitude, carelessness, poor infrastructure, poor diagnosis in some cases, and, in others, the inordinate drive for money remain the bane of our healthcare. As we ponder these issues…my heart, thoughts and prayers are with Nanyah’s family and friends.
She rests, but her spirit is unbowed. May God rest her gentle soul. Amen.
