Hospitals in Dakshina Kannada that admit snakebite patients without providing initial treatment and instead send them elsewhere will face action, Deputy Commissioner Darshan H.V. said at a review meeting in Mangaluru on Monday.
The directive followed a programme on snakebite treatment and prevention held at the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Darshan said cases had been reported in the district in which patients were transferred to other hospitals without receiving primary treatment, causing unnecessary delays and, in some instances, resulting in deaths.
He instructed the District Health and Family Welfare Officer to issue notices to hospitals found sending snakebite patients away without providing the required initial care. The direction places the immediate responsibility on hospitals to stabilise and treat patients before considering further referral, according to the report published by Prajavani.
The Deputy Commissioner also said all primary health centres in the district had the medicines and facilities required for essential snakebite treatment. Residents should therefore take snakebite victims to the nearest primary health centre without delay, he said.
The administration will also conduct awareness activities on snakebite prevention and treatment. Officials were asked to provide information through village meetings so that residents understand the importance of seeking immediate medical care rather than losing time during a transfer between hospitals.
District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr H.R. Thimmaiah said the Karnataka government had declared snakebite a notifiable disease. This means that health authorities must be informed about people who have suffered snakebites, enabling the department to record and monitor such cases.
The notification requirement also links individual emergency treatment with district-level disease surveillance. However, the meeting’s immediate focus was on reducing delays at the point where patients first reach a healthcare facility. The administration’s order indicates that referral should not replace essential primary care when a snakebite victim arrives at a hospital.
District Surveillance Officer Dr Naveen Chandra Kulal and Wenlock Hospital Superintendent Dr Shivaprakash attended the meeting. The administration did not provide details in the report about the number of hospitals that may receive notices, the number of reported deaths, or a deadline for issuing the notices.
The next steps announced by the district administration are the issuance of notices to hospitals that failed to provide initial treatment, awareness campaigns in villages and continued reporting of snakebite cases to the health department.
