Now Reading: A.P. to stock anti-snake venom in 108 ambulances
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A.P. to stock anti-snake venom in 108 ambulances
Andhra Pradesh will stock anti-snake venom (ASV) in 108 ambulances for pre-hospital treatment, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Saturday. The decision follows 3,104 snakebite emergency calls received since June 2025.…
The Story in Brief
Andhra Pradesh will stock anti-snake venom (ASV) in 108 ambulances for pre-hospital treatment, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Saturday. The decision follows 3,104 snakebite emergency calls received since June 2025. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) can administer ASV only after consulting a doctor via a dome camera linked to the Emergency Response Centre in Mangalagiri.
Separately, Demow Rural Hospital in Assam’s Sivasagar district treated its 4,000th snakebite victim on August 7, recording only one death since 2018. Under the Demow model, volunteers identify symptoms and coordinate with doctors. About 96 per cent of victims were from poor families, and the hospital lacks mechanical ventilators for krait envenoming cases.
The Indian Opinion
The A.P. government’s move to put anti-snake venom in ambulances sounds good on paper, but the real test will be execution, are EMTs trained and confident enough to decide when to administer? Meanwhile, Assam’s Demow Model shows that community coordination, not just medicine, saves lives. The next number to watch is how many A.P. patients actually receive ASV in the ambulance, not just how many ambulances carry it.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
