Anti-snake venoms to be available in 108 ambulances in A.P.

Anti-snake venoms (ASV) will now be available in 108 ambulances across Andhra Pradesh to ensure immediate and pre-hospital treatments of the patients for snakebite victims.

In a statement on Saturday, Minister for Health, Medical and Family Welfare Satya Kumar Yadav said that the decision had been taken in view of the rising emergency calls for snakebite cases.

From June 2025 to date, 3,104 snakebite emergency calls have been received, the statement said.

Snakebite patients need to be taken to a hospital immediately, as the effects of the venom may increase and the patient may become critical. To address this problem, the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) working in an ambulance has been directed to administer anti-snake venoms to patients in need after consulting a doctor.

If the victim shows symptoms suggesting that the venom is spreading across the body, the EMT immediately consults a doctor at the Emergency Response Centre in Mangalagiri. The doctor assesses the patient’s condition through a dome camera fitted in the ambulance and advises the EMT on further action. In severe cases, ASVs are administered immediately.

The EMTs have been trained to determine if symptoms of envenomation are increasingly manifesting in the body and communicate the same to the doctor, Director of Secondary Health K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu said in a statement. “However, an EMT should not give the ASV to a patient without consulting a doctor,” he said.

Mr. Chakradhar Babu said measures have been taken keeping in mind the importance of the golden hour for emergency treatment and by offering treatment in the ambulance itself, the golden hour can be used more effectively to save the life of a patient.