The Chief Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, FCT, Abuja, Professor Saad Ahmed, yesterday said that the hospital couldn’t save the late singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, due to her late arrival for medical treatment.
Nwangene, an Abuja based popular singer bitten by a cobra in her home, died at the Jabi medical facility about six days ago, an ugly development that provoked public outrage over the poor equipment of the nation’s hospitals with basic essential medications.
Professor Ahmed explained this to journalists on Saturday at the 2026 budget defence session, the Senate Committee on Health had with various government owned tertiary health Institutions, just as he expressed his support for the call for inclusion of state and private hospitals in the centralised housemanship system for fresh medical doctors.
He debunked the social media report that anti-venom doses were not administered to Nwangene on arrival for urgent medication after a snake bite, saying they were promptly administered, but couldn’t save her because of the systemic damage the venom had already inflicted on her.
He said, “First, I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. But I would say this is a case of a cobra. Cobra is the most poisonous snake that we know. And time is of the essence from when one gets bitten and then to access that care.
“She presented to our hospital over two hours after she was bitten by that cobra. And by that time, she had already started manifesting with some systemic envenomation. And contrary to what we see on social media, we didn’t have snake venom.
