KATHMANDU, July 13: At least 10 people lost their lives due to venomous snake bites in the past one year. According to the District Police Office, Dang, 10 people have died of snake bites while an additional 178 suffered snake bites.
In the last two Fiscal Years (FY) 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, a total of 9 and 6 people lost their lives, respectively. A total of 25 people have died in the last three years, which is blamed on superstitious activities such as sucking, extracting poison and shamanic healing.
3,000 people, mostly the poor, die of snake bites annually
It is reported that snakebite patients and their families spend time in superstitious activities such as sucking, extracting poison and shamanic healing, which eventually leads to death, according to doctors.
However, the next of kin of the patients say that even those who reached the hospital on time lost their lives because of the negligence of the health workers.
Regardless of government policies that no snakebite patient should die after reaching the hospital, some die due to their belief in superstition, while others die because of the difficulty to ascertain the type of snake even after reaching the hospital.
