The Benue State House of Assembly has approved a bill to provide free medical treatment for snakebite victims at government-owned hospitals across the state.
The legislation was passed on Friday during plenary after successfully completing its third reading.
The session was chaired by the Speaker of the House, Berger Alfred Emberga.
The bill’s passage followed a public hearing at which stakeholders in the health sector stressed the need to ensure affordable and accessible snakebite treatment, especially for farmers and residents of rural communities.
Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, Dr Matthew Damkor, representing Tiev State Constituency, while speaking on the bill, noted that snakebite remained a serious but often neglected public health challenge in rural communities.
Damkor said the law would remove financial barriers that prevent victims from seeking prompt medical attention and provide a structured response to snakebite incidents.
On his part, the Speaker of the House described the legislation as timely, stressing that snakebite incidents posed serious challenges to rural communities, particularly farmers who frequently come in contact with snakes while working on farms.
Following the passage of the bill and its expected assent by the State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, indigent snakebite victims across the state will no longer be left without help or risk losing their lives because they cannot afford the cost of treatment.
Recall that former Governor Samuel Ortom made provision for treatment of victims at Bishop Murray hospital in Makurdi before and during his tenure.