In many places people bitten by snakes still turn to exorcism or a faith healer (ojha) instead of going to hospital. Doctors say this delay is often the biggest threat to a patient's life, and one recent case has brought that reality to the fore again.

A snake bit Radhabai Ahirwar, a resident of Jhil Pipariya village in Narmadapuram district of India's Madhya Pradesh, five times within just two minutes. Instead of being taken to hospital, she was first taken for exorcism, and was admitted to hospital only after her condition deteriorated rapidly.

Doctors saved her life with 10 injections in the first 40 minutes and 35 in total over the following 24 hours. She also needed surgery on a finger swollen by the venom. She has since recovered and been discharged from the district hospital.

About 20 days after the incident, a team from Dainik Bhaskar visited Jhil Pipariya village, about 20 kilometres from the district headquarters, and spoke to Radhabai, her husband Sukhram Ahirwar and doctor Devendra Ahirwar to piece together the full story.

Radhabai said that at about 12:30pm on 13 July, having finished cooking, she was sweeping the kitchen when she saw a black snake about five feet long among the utensils kept in a cupboard.

Before she understood what was happening, the snake bit her on the palm of her right hand. When she shook her hand to get free, it struck again. In this way it bit her hand and palm five times in one and a half to two minutes, attacking anew each time she tried to pull her hand away. At one point she fainted and collapsed on the spot.

Her husband Sukhram Ahirwar said that after the bite she was taken not to hospital but to a village ojha, reaching him at about 1pm. The ojha said at the outset that he could do nothing.

By then the venom was taking effect. Radhabai's eyes grew heavy and she was struggling to breathe. Family members took her to Pipariya Civil Hospital at about 2:10pm, where her treatment began.

The doctor on duty, Devendra Thakur, said that when she arrived her eyes had closed, the venom was spreading fast through her body and she was having difficulty breathing.

Seeing her critical condition, from about 2:50pm doctors gave her 10 anti-snake venom (ASV) injections in the first 40 minutes. Over the next 24 hours she received 35 injections in all: 25 of anti-snake venom and 10 of atropine.

Her condition improved after treatment, but because one finger stayed swollen from the venom she was later sent to the district hospital, where the finger was operated on.

The report was based on Bhaskar English.

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