The tragic death of fast-rising Nigerian singer Ifunanya after a snakebite has ignited a fierce public conversation about the country's failing primary healthcare system, with a prominent medical influencer asserting that her death was preventable and a direct result of systemic neglect.
The young artist was reportedly bitten by a snake and taken to two separate hospitals, where she was allegedly told that antivenom was not available. She later succumbed to the bite.
In a viral Facebook post, popular physician and health educator Dr. Chinonso Egemba, widely known as Aproko Doctor, challenged the narrative surrounding her death, arguing that the absence of antivenom—not the snakebite itself—was the real cause.
“Snakes bite people everywhere, in cities, villages, India, Australia, all over the world. People do not usually die like this. Not after visiting two hospitals and being told plainly, ‘we do not have antivenom,’ in 2026,” he wrote.
He emphasized that Nigeria produces a specific antivenom called EchiTAbG (often referred to as Egitap), developed to treat bites from the country's most common venomous snakes. The critical failure, he stated, was its unavailability at the point of need.
“This is what systemic neglect looks like,” Aproko Doctor continued. “Our politicians build flyovers where ambulances do not exist. They chase ultra-modern hospitals while ignoring primary healthcare centres… In a country where snakes live, every basic hospital should have antivenom, oxygen, and trained hands.”
The influencer dismissed suggestions from some quarters attributing the death to supernatural causes, stating that such beliefs allow preventable deaths to continue unchallenged.
“Yet, instead of asking these questions, people are saying it was a spiritual snake. That is why people keep dying quietly… It was not the snake. It was the system.”
The incident has resonated deeply online, with many echoing the call for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria's primary healthcare infrastructure, where basic lifesaving supplies and equipment are often missing.
Public health advocates are now urging both state and federal health authorities to mandate and monitor the stocking of essential medications like antivenom in all primary and secondary healthcare facilities, especially in rural and snake-prone areas.
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