It was about 4:00 p.m. on a cloudy Saturday evening in 2024 when Martha Ejembi, a 52-year-old woman from Benue State, had just finished the day’s work on her peanut farm and was preparing to leave when she was suddenly bitten by a snake.
She was rushed to the nearest Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in her community, but help was not forthcoming. She was then referred to a General Hospital at the Okpokwu Local Government Area headquarters. Due to the late presentation and complications that had already developed, she was later referred to a hospital in Abuja. Unfortunately, she never made it.
“My mother’s condition worsened as we kept moving from one hospital to another. She died on our way to Abuja,” said Patience Ejembi, a registered nurse and Martha’s daughter.