I heard with shock and disappointment the statement issued on Sunday, June<\/p>\n
5, 2016, by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Mr. President,
\ninforming the general public that President Muhammadu Buhari will proceed
\non a 10-day medical vacation to London from Monday, June 6, 2016, during
\nwhich period he is billed to see an E.N.T. specialist for a persistent ear
\ninfection, based on a recommendation for further evaluation said to have
\nbeen advanced by Mr. President\u2019s Personal Physician and an E.N.T.
\nspecialist in Abuja.<\/p>\n
Even though the nature of the persistent ear infection\/specific diagnosis
\nwas not stated in the Special Adviser\u2019s press release, I wish to commend
\nMr. President for the medical disclosure (a departure from the past) and
\nsincerely sympathise with him, especially at this critical stage of our
\ncountry\u2019s history and development, and wish him quick recovery.<\/p>\n
However, I am very constrained to state that this foreign medical trip
\nflies in the face of the Federal Government\u2019s earlier declaration of her
\nresolve to halt the embarrassing phenomenon of outward medical tourism,
\nwhich as at the end of the year 2013 had led to a humongous capital flight
\nof about $1billion dollars, particularly from expenses incurred by
\npolitical and public office holders (and their accompanying aides), whose
\nforeign medical trips (most of which are unnecessary) were financed with
\ntax payers\u2019 resources.<\/p>\n
At various times, one had advised Mr. President to make a clear public
\npronouncement on his resolve to show leadership by example with respect to
\nthe utilisation of the medical expertise and facilities that abound in
\nNigeria by him and other members of the Federal Executive Council,
\nparticularly in concrete expression of Section 46 of the National Health
\nAct which seeks to address the abuse of tax payers\u2019 resources through
\nfrivolous foreign medical travels embarked upon by political and public
\noffice holders.<\/p>\n
Undoubtedly, this latest move by Mr. President at a time the Federal
\nGovernment is said to be on a change mission and rebirth of national
\nconsciousness and commitment through a backward integration agenda, Mr.
\nPresident has lost a golden opportunity to assert his change mantra
\nthrough a clear demonstration of leadership by example, by staying back to
\nreceive medical treatment in Nigeria and thereby inspiring confidence in
\nNigeria\u2019s health sector which currently boasts of medical experts that
\nfavourably compare with medical experts anywhere in the world, if not even
\nbetter.<\/p>\n
It is on record that most public and political office holders who seek
\nforeign medical care abroad are handled by Nigerian trained doctors in
\nforeign lands (particularly in the United Kingdom which has over 3000
\nNigerian trained medical doctors, United States of America with over 5000
\nNigerian trained medical doctors, among other foreign countries), most of
\nwhom left the shores of Nigeria on account of government\u2019s perennial
\nfailure to address the various push and pull factors which have
\nconsistently driven this yearly brain drain phenomenon in Nigeria.
\nAvailable records show that last year (2015) alone, 637 medical doctors
\nemigrated due largely to poor working conditions and health facilities,
\ninsecurity, unpredictable and poor funding of Residency Training
\nProgramme, uncompetitive wages and job dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n
Without prejudice to the expert recommendation of Mr. President\u2019s Personal
\nPhysician and the ENT specialist said to have examined and treated Mr.
\nPresident in Abuja, I consider it a national shame of immense proportions
\nthat Mr. President had to be recommended for foreign medical
\ncare\/re-evaluation despite the presence of over 250 ENT specialists (and
\nprofessors) in Nigeria, as well as a National Ear Centre located in Kaduna
\nState.<\/p>\n
If I were in their shoes I would have advised Mr. President to stay back
\nin Nigeria and explore any of the following options: (1) urgently invite a
\nconsortium of Nigerian trained ENT specialists in Nigeria to Abuja to
\nre-evaluate and treat Mr. President; or (2) if it is determined that the
\nmedical expertise is not available in Nigeria (and I doubt this), any
\nidentified Nigerian trained ENT specialist practising anywhere in the
\nworld should be invited to Abuja, for the sole purpose of re-evaluating
\nand treating Mr. President; or (3) if it is a case where the health
\nfacilities\/equipment are unavailable (and this is a possibility) then Mr.
\nPresident should have used his current medical situation, though
\nunfortunate, to commence the Federal Government\u2019s plan to re-equip
\nNigerian hospitals with modern state-of-the art health facilities, by
\nordering for the needed medical equipment to enable the locally available
\nNigerian trained ENT specialists to attend to him, and thereafter use same
\nfacilities to attend to other Nigerians with similar conditions.<\/p>\n
There are so many benefits that can accrue to Nigeria if Mr. President
\nstays back in Nigeria to receive medical treatment and explores the above
\nstated options. Indeed, it will be a win-win situation for Nigeria as Mr.
\nPresident will not only get managed with the imported medical facilities
\nand expertise (if indeed needed); he would save Nigeria (currently going
\nthrough a socio-economic turmoil) the capital flight that would result
\nfrom his planned foreign medical trip. It will also help to improve the
\nstate of healthcare facilities and medical practice in Nigeria
\n(particularly through technology transfer).<\/p>\n
I submitted myself for a highly skilled and successful ENT surgical
\nintervention conducted in Nigeria in the month of April, 2016. As a
\ntrained medical specialist, I believe that those ENT specialists\/medical
\nexperts (and many others in Nigeria) who handled my situation then are
\nskilled enough, and with the right equipment in place can handle any
\ncomplicated ENT problem in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The President should show committed leadership by urgently rethinking the
\nplanned foreign medical travel and exploring the suggested options of
\ngetting treated here in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Doing otherwise will send a strong negative signal to majority of toiling
\nNigerians who either have no means to seek healthcare services or daily
\nindulge in catastrophic health expenditures, talk less of dreaming of
\ntravelling abroad for medical treatment.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Dr. Enabulele, M.B; B.S, MHPM, FWACP is<\/p>\n
Vice President, Commonwealth Medical Association.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n