Benue records 2,917 snake bite victims, 64 deaths in 6 years–Catholic Bishop

By Ijeoma Obioma

At least,64 deaths were recorded while 2,917 snake bites victims from different areas of Benue State survived after treatment at Bishop Murray Memorial Hospital in Makurdi.

Our correspondent reports that the deaths recorded spanned between 2016 and 2022 while over 2,981 victims of snake bites have so far received medical attention in the facility.

The Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, also disclosed that the victims were attended to under the sponsorship of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in collaboration with Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and his administration.

Anagbe who spoke during the commissioning of a new Ultra Modern Laboratory at the Bishop Murray Hospital under the Makurdi Catholic Diocesan Global Integrated Health Initiative, noted that partnership of government with the church for humanitarian services had helped to a large extent to save many lives.

The Bishop, however,decried the destruction of Catholic hospitals and schools in Agagbe, Gwer West LGA and Udei in Guma LGA respectively by armed herders, even as he threatened to institute legal cases against the perpetrators up to the Vatican.

Also speaking, Governor Samuel Ortom, posited that so far, his government had expended over N680 million on snake bite victims since taking over the responsibility from his privately funded Foundation.

“Initially, my foundation was handling the snake bites before I became Governor.

“At a point, I owed the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Rahama Hospital and Bishop Murray Hospital N70 million and when I became Governor, through a State Executive memo from the Commissioner of Health, it was agreed to hand it over to state government which has expended N680 million.

“Government will provide Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing Machines, PCR Machines,worth N20 million to the hospital.

“For me, it is a responsibility to compliment what the Church is doing and there is a lot of benefits. It has been a potent instrument helping me add value to human life,” the governor said.

Edited by Dada Ahmed.