Over the past couple of years, Karnataka state has been witnessing cases of snake bites and deaths.
The data from the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), reveals that the reported snake bite cases doubled to 6,587 last year, from 950 cases in 2021 to 3,439 cases in 2022, and deaths leaped from zero in 2021 to 19 in 2023.
The rise in the reporting of cases is attributed to health staff being enabled to notify snake bites. However, they do not depict a complete picture of the burden of snake bites. The snake bite cases are grossly underrated in official data, skewing the anti-venom requirements in health facilities across the state.
The Karnataka state government on February 19 conceded that this interlude in understanding and mandated the reporting of every snake bite and death case on the IHIP. This will raise the reported numbers and it will make it easier to follow the actual incidence, especially during the monsoon months when there is a high incidence of snake bites.
Dinesh Gundu Rao, Health Minister of Karnataka said that the health department will use this data to understand the exact incidence of snake bites in different districts and, accordingly allocate ASV (Anti Snake Venom) stocks to primary health centers, taluk, and district hospitals. He also said training health workers at the local level to administer ASV will be their focus once they get the data.
Presently, the Karnataka State Medical Corporation Ltd (KSMSCL) has 14,000 ASV vials across 27 functional warehouses, which are not enough to cover the entire state. However, the officials of the KSMSCL ensured that stocks are enough, and local hospitals and health clinics were liable for restocking their supplies.
Chidananda S Vatare, MD of KSMSCL said that tenders are being called to procure 57,000 vials of ASV, which will cover nearly 3,000 hospitals and PHCs connected with them across the state. How much is sent to each hospital is based on the necessities they upload on the e-AUSHADHI application. It was unclear when the tendering process would end and the vial's price ranged from Rs. 500 to Rs. 900.
The experts stated that in addition to training of healthcare workers and the availability of high-quality ASV stocks at the PHC level particularly in rural areas, there are other issues that need to be resolved.
The majority of snake bite victims need at least 20 injections and depending on the severity of envenomation additional care may be required. As a consequence, the costs may surpass several thousand rupees.
Dr. Nagaraju, medical director of Hoskote Hospital has been treating snake bite victims for over 20 years and has also endorsed universal education about snake bites besides making ASV accessible and affordable at all levels.
Dr. Nagaraju said that the government must encourage more pharmaceutical companies to take up research and development of ASV because stocks are not adequate and the cost of each vial is also high. Similarly, it must also take the help of snake rescuers to lessen cases and furnish them incentives.
A Ballari-based Snake rescuer, Vattam Adhitya, is supporting the government to enhance the state’s local clinics and hospital infrastructure across the state so that the victims won't need to travel for care. The victims need to be admitted within an hour any delays will lessen the chances of complete recovery.
Sharath Babu, former wildlife warden and wildlife activist is also delighted that the government will modify the compensation that is provided to the victims from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina/MSM)
