Banten - The Ministry of Health is paying serious attention to the potential dangers of snake bites that often threaten Baduy residents in Lebak Regency, Banten.
This issue is one of the main agendas during the working visit of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha, to the Baduy area on Tuesday, December 31, 2025.
On this occasion, Kunta highlighted the importance of the availability of snake anti-venom or antivenom, considering that the majority of the Baduy community depends on farming activities carried out in fields and forest areas. However, he emphasized that the use of anti-venom cannot be done carelessly and must follow the applicable medical standards.
According to Kunta, snake antivenom is not stored in large quantities in the Baduy area. The drug is placed at the referral health center which has been equipped with health personnel with special expertise in handling snake bite cases.
"If it is anti-can it not be arbitrary. It must be checked enough. Antibisa is available at the health center, but there are not many," he explained.
He added that if a snake bite incident occurs, initial treatment can be carried out to suppress the spread of poison before the victim is referred to a follow-up health facility. The health center will coordinate so that patients immediately receive the necessary treatment.
"At least it is tied up first so that it does not spread. Later the health center will come to provide treatment," he said.
Kunta also admitted that the distance from the Baduy area to the referral health center which has antibisa is about one and a half hours of travel. However, his party ensured that coordination between officers was still being pursued so that handling did not experience delays.
Meanwhile, the Baduy community considers the presence of anti-snake still a pressing need. One resident of Cihuni Village, Baduy Luar, Narja, said that the risk of snake bites is quite high, especially when residents work in the fields.
He emphasized that the community did not demand excessive provision of anti-venom, but hoped that there would be stocks for emergency conditions. The limitations of the drug, according to him, often become an obstacle for local health workers.
"Not to provide, but to be prepared just in case. The problem with drugs can be that, Mr. Kapus also often cries, because it is difficult, there is none," he said.
In addition to anti-poison readiness, the Ministry of Health also continues to strengthen basic health services in the Baduy area through routine health checks and education to the community. The Secretary General of Kunta hopes that residents will not hesitate to use the available health services when experiencing health problems.
"The most important thing is that they want to check their health. From there we can know exactly what the problem is," he concluded.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
