PNG - Dangerous Liaisons

excellent documentary , though very sad that health authorities have their hands tied behind their back in PNG

 

I have tremendous respect for people like David Williams who as an expert in snakebite is involved in medical treatment, anti-venom development for some of the most dangerous snakes on earth as well as collection. While knowingly endangering his own life time and time again, he continues collecting more snakes for milking venom in an attempt to develop a cheap Papuan alternative to importing big dollar anti-venom from Australia.

It is a shame that while a market exists for anti-venom use in general hospitals in PNG, the price tag is way above what a developping nation can afford. Coupled with corruption and stolen anti-venom vials coming onto the market at double or triple the price tag in Australia is just vile.

People like David should receive a high level commendation medal just for what they do, in particular so now he himself has been another victim of snakebite. If he had been there a day later no anti-venom would have been available to even treat him and he would have died as another meaningless statistic.

The best part though is that somehow the ABC documentary has kick-started a crackdown on illegal sales, uncontrolled drug trade and that a review of hospital storage facilities for anti-venomal drugs is in the offing. It was pure high quality drama that the secretary of national health personally took charge and followed up the anti-venomal drug scam at that particular shop. I have not seen many secretaries do that in their lifetime!

While some of the critiscism is truthfully directed at some PNG authorities' indifference and profiteering attitude, it is equally unpalatable that an Australian company is making a profit out of a developing nation (it equals the unjustness of high cost anti-malarial drugs not being available or being but at unrealistically high prices in Africa) in desperate need of affordable anti-venomal drugs.

 

This thread is very coincidental for me, as I just finished reading "The Snakebite Survivors' Club: Travels Among Serpents" by Jeremy Seal, published in 1999. In the book David Williams is mentioned and discussed, along with several other famous "snake-men". The writer is a British travel author who visits 4 distinct locations in a quest for knowledge on 4 separate species of highly venomous snake. Australia, America, Africa and India are the chapters, and the taipan, diamondback rattlesnake, black mamba and king cobra are the snakes. Very interesting reading.