NIGERIAN Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State branch, have faulted comments made on TVC Breakfast show over the management of snakebite cases following the death of fast-rising singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, in Abuja.

The reactions came yesterday after public debate trailed reports that the young artist died from complications of a snakebite at a hospital in the Federal Capital Territory.

NARD, in a statement signed by the President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman; Secretary General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr Abdulmajid Ibrahim, expressed condolences to the bereaved family but raised concern over what it described as medical misinformation aired on national television.

The association stated that tying or constricting a snake-bitten limb is no longer recommended in modern medical practice, warning that such action can worsen tissue damage and increase the risk of necrosis.
The doctors also defended the use of intravenous fluids in snakebite victims.

NARD added: “It is incorrect and misleading to suggest that intravenous fluids are a treatment for malaria. Rather, they are a fundamental supportive intervention used across a wide range of medical emergencies.”
The association stressed that snake antivenom remains the definitive treatment for envenomation.

Similarly, NMA, Lagos State branch, in a statement titled, ‘Inaccurate and Unprofessional Commentary on Snakebite Management on the TVC Breakfast Show’, condemned the remarks made by the presenters.

The statement, signed by its Chairman, Dr Babajide Kehinde Saheed, described the comments questioning the use of intravenous fluids during resuscitation as misleading and unprofessional.