By Osahon Enabulele
I heard with shock and
disappointment the statement issued on Sunday, June 5, 2016, by the Special
Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Mr. President, informing the general public
that President Muhammadu Buhari will proceed on a 10-day medical vacation to
London from Monday, June 6, 2016, during which period he is billed to see an
E.N.T. specialist for a persistent ear infection, based on a recommendation for
further evaluation said to have been advanced by Mr. President’s Personal
Physician and an E.N.T. specialist in Abuja.
Even though the nature
of the persistent ear infection/specific diagnosis was not stated in the
Special Adviser’s press release, I wish to commend Mr. President for the
medical disclosure (a departure from the past) and sincerely sympathise with
him, especially at this critical stage of our country’s history and
development, and wish him quick recovery.
However, I am very
constrained to state that this foreign medical trip flies in the face of the Federal
Government’s earlier declaration of her resolve to halt the embarrassing
phenomenon of outward medical tourism, which as at the end of the year 2013 had
led to a humongous capital flight of about $1billion dollars, particularly from
expenses incurred by political and public office holders (and their
accompanying aides), whose foreign medical trips (most of which are
unnecessary) were financed with tax payers’ resources.
At various times, one had advised Mr. President to make a clear public
pronouncement on his resolve to show leadership by example with respect to the
utilisation of the medical expertise and facilities that abound in Nigeria by
him and other members of the Federal Executive Council, particularly in
concrete expression of Section 46 of the National Health Act which seeks to
address the abuse of tax payers’ resources through frivolous foreign medical
travels embarked upon by political and public office holders.
Undoubtedly, this
latest move by Mr. President at a time the Federal Government is said to be on
a change mission and rebirth of national consciousness and commitment through a
backward integration agenda, Mr. President has lost a golden opportunity to
assert his change mantra through a clear demonstration of leadership by
example, by staying back to receive medical treatment in Nigeria and thereby
inspiring confidence in Nigeria’s health sector which currently boasts of
medical experts that favourably compare with medical experts anywhere in the
world, if not even better.
