The Odisha government has asked officials to bring snakebite victims to hospitals and ensure that the patients do not go to quacks as snakebite is emerging as a major cause of disaster deaths in the state.
 

The direction was issued by Chief Secretary A P Padhi while expressing concern on rising number of deaths due to snakebite in the state last evening. "All snakebite victims must be brought to the nearest health institution at the earliest for medical examination and administering anti-snake venom. They must not avail treatment by quacks," Padhi said. This message has to be widely circulated through intensive awareness programmes by different departments, Padhi said.

This apart, the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) would take steps to sensitise the farmers during farmers training programmes. Sufficient quantity of anti venom serum would be kept in hospitals especially in all CHCs/ PHCs where a large number of snakebite deaths was reported, he said. The required number of ambulances would be made available in major affected blocks for shifting snakebite patients to the nearest health institutions, he said.

This apart, the health and family welfare department has been asked to ensure availability of one MBBS doctor in PHCs in the highly snakebite-prone areas. As many as 1716 people died due to snakebite during the last three years from 2015-16 to 2017-18.