The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Centre, states, and Union Territories in response to a petition by lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi, which seeks better availability of poly-venom (anti-venom) and snakebite treatment at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and district hospitals nationwide. The petition also calls for a national snakebite prevention mission and a public awareness campaign to reduce the high snakebite mortality rate, particularly in rural areas. A two-judge bench, led by Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan, directed the respondents to file their replies within four weeks.
Tripathi’s petition highlights that snakebite envenomation (SBE) affects between 1.8 to 2.7 million people globally each year, resulting in around 1,38,000 deaths, with India alone contributing to nearly 58,000 fatalities annually. The majority of these deaths occur in rural regions where many people work in agriculture, live in snake-prone areas, and lack awareness of prevention and treatment. The plea underscores issues such as limited access to anti-venom in rural hospitals, delays in treatment, and reliance on traditional healers, which exacerbate the crisis. It also stresses the need for establishing specialized snakebite treatment units in district hospitals and medical colleges.
Tripathi further notes that many rural healthcare providers lack proper training in handling snakebites, which often results in delayed or improper treatment. Overburdened rural healthcare facilities with limited resources also hinder timely response to snakebite cases. The petition criticizes the lack of government initiatives to tackle this “poor man’s disease” and calls for urgent intervention to address this public health crisis, which disproportionately affects farmers and rural populations.
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