SNAKE BITE LIFE SUPPORT
(SBLS)
a DHR ICMR funded workshop
Our Story
Snakebite envenoming is a disease of the poor. Most deaths and serious consequences of snakebite are entirely preventable by safe and effective treatment. Yet, due to lack of awareness, knowledge and access to health care, people living in urban and rural areas continue to suffer disproportionate case fatality.
The ‘Mission Hospital’ established in 1951 has been a private hospital renowned for treating snakebite victims in central Kerala, South India, providing free antivenom for all snakebite victims, living up to its name of being the ‘poor man's hospital’.
We treat an average of 1 snakebite every 15 hours (2022-2024 bite register data*) through a multidisciplinary collaboration among different medical and surgical specialties. We established the first institutional registry and audit of snakebite cases in 2017 and since then our mortality of snakebite cases has plummeted from 3% in 2017** to 0.2% in 2023.
We started the Snake Bite Life Support (SBLS) course as an endeavour aimed at educating medical professionals, empowering them to effectively treat and manage this 'neglected tropical disease', while also fostering networking and mutual assistance among them.
With funding from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), we intend to reach out to the physicians across India through a standardised curriculum for snakebite management helping them to provide safe, effective and evidence-based treatment for the same.
The course is further divided into SAVIOR and SAFETi workshops. SAVIOR is designed for the clinical training of health care professionals taking care of snakebite in the peripheral hospitals, and SAFETi is an introductory course to wilderness medicine for health care workers and first responders in austere situations.
(*unpublished data, **Melit, RJ, et al. "Retrospective review of case records of snakebite presenting to a single tertiary care centre over a 5-year period." National Medical Journal of India 34.6 (2021).
What Makes Us Special
Expert Instructors
Led by esteemed professionals renowned for their expertise in snakebite management, our program offers unmatched mentorship and insights, ensuring high-quality training and knowledge transfer.
Comprehensive Training
We merge theoretical knowledge with practical application, providing hands-on training and simulation based real-world scenarios to ensure participants are fully equipped to handle snakebite emergencies confidently.
Recognition & Partnerships
Collaborating with KFRI and backed by ICMR funding and WHO Collaborating Center for Emergency and Trauma care - South East Asia Region endorsement, our program stands out for its expert-led training and international acclaim.
"For millions of men, women and children around the world, the risk of snakebite is a daily concern as they go about their everyday activities where a misplaced step, a momentary lapse of concentration or being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be fatal."
Nuñez LJL, Alcoba G, Warrell D. Snakebite envenoming snakebite envenoming a strategy for prevention and control. Published online 2019.