The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, Prof. Saad Ahmed, has explained that a prolonged delay before hospital presentation was responsible for the death of musician, Ifunanya Nwangene, who died after a snake bite on January 31.
Ahmed said the late entertainer was bitten by a cobra and arrived at the hospital almost two hours after the incident, by which time the venom had already spread through her system.
The CMD spoke on Saturday while appearing before the Senate Committee on Health during the continuation of the defence of the centre’s 2026 budget estimates.
He told reporters that the 26-year-old had already begun to show signs of systemic envenomation on arrival, making medical intervention extremely difficult.
Ahmed dismissed claims circulating on social media that the hospital failed to administer anti-snake venom promptly, describing the reports as misleading.
According to him, the medical team immediately administered two doses of anti-venom, with the first given through infusion and the second administered shortly afterwards.
He explained that anti-snake venom is most effective when given shortly after a bite, noting that treatment within 10 to 15 minutes significantly improves survival chances, especially in cases involving highly venomous snakes such as cobras.
“The cobra is one of the most poisonous snakes, and time is critical. Unfortunately, she presented to the hospital more than two hours after the bite, when the venom had already gone systemic,” Ahmed said.
He added that the incident should serve as a warning on the dangers of delayed medical attention following snake bites, stressing that FMC Abuja had sufficient anti-venom in stock, well-equipped emergency services and medical personnel on duty at the time of the incident.
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