The High Court has ordered that snakebite antivenom be kept at government health complexes at upazila level across the country. The court asked the health secretary, the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services and the director general of the Directorate General of Drug Administration to implement the order quickly and submit a report by 28 October.

A High Court bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Syed Zahed Mansur issued the order on 18 August after a preliminary hearing of a public interest writ petition.

Advocate Mir AKM Nurunnabi argued for the writ, assisted by Advocate Ismail Hossain. Deputy Attorney General Shafiqur Rahman, Tanim Khan and Assistant Attorney General Ekramul Kabir represented the state.

Advocate Mir AKM Nurunnabi had filed the writ with the High Court on 17 August, seeking directions to supply snakebite antivenom to government hospitals at upazila level across the country.

Deputy Attorney General Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman said: "The writ's prayer asks for antivenom to be ensured at upazila level. Sending it to upazila level means it will be at the upazila health complexes."

The court also issued a rule at the same time, asking why the respondents' inaction and failure to ensure adequate antivenom, specifically at upazila health complexes and district hospitals in rural areas, should not be declared illegal. The rule also asks why the respondents should not be directed to ensure the immediate supply of antivenom to all upazila health complexes and district hospitals. The respondents, including the health and family welfare secretary, the director general of health services and the director general of drug administration, have been asked to reply to the rule.

After the order, lawyer AKM Nurun Nabi said reports of people dying of snakebite in various upazilas during floods often appear in the media, showing that patients are dying because upazila hospitals lack enough antivenom. "Considering the public interest, we filed the writ with the High Court," he said.

Earlier, on 17 July, a national daily published a report headlined "Deaths from snakebite, a silent crisis in the health sector". Before that, on 10 July, an online outlet published a report headlined "38 dead from snakebite in 5 months". Attaching such media reports, Advocate Mir AKM Nurunnabi filed the writ on 17 August seeking directions for antivenom to be supplied to government hospitals at upazila level.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.