The central government has urged all states to declare snakebite as a notified disease, making it mandatory for all health centers to report such cases and deaths. This request has been made in a letter sent by Union Health Secretary Punya Salil Srivastava to all the states and union territories.
He wrote that snakebite is a public health issue and in some cases it results in death, illness or disability. States should declare snakebite as a notified disease under relevant sections of their public health laws or other applicable laws. Along with this, make it mandatory for all government and private health centers and medical colleges to inform about any such suspected case or death.
Farmers and tribal population are at greater risk
The letter stated that farmers and tribal populations, among others, are at greater risk of snakebite. To deal with cases of snakebite, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also launched the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in India by 2030. The aim of this plan is to halve the number of deaths due to snake bites by 2030.
According to World Health Organization data, the number of snakebite incidents globally is approximately 54 lakh. Of these, approximately 18 lakh to 27 lakh are due to snake poisoning. In Asia alone, two million cases of snake bite and poisoning are reported every year, while Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka see 70 percent of the deaths due to snake bites worldwide. In India, about 50 thousand deaths occur every year out of 30-40 lakh snakebite cases, which is half of the global number of deaths related to it.
Doctor-population ratio better than WHO standards
Apart from this, Union Health Minister JP Nadda told in Parliament on Friday that by November 2024, 13,86,145 allopathic doctors are registered with the State Medical Council and National Medical Council in India. Assuming 80 percent availability, including 6.14 lakh AYUSH doctors, there is one doctor available for every 811 population in India, which is much better than the World Health Organization’s ratio of one per 1000.