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General News of Thursday, 19 August 2021

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Why Buhari goes abroad for treatment amidst challenges in health sector - Minister

President Muhammadu Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has provided reasons why President Buhari seeks medical attention abroad rather than seek it from locals within the country.

He made the comments in Washington DC as he engaged the international press including the BBC Radio and Television, Bloomberg, and Politico.

He stressed that the president's preference doesn't mean a collapse of the health sector in Nigeria.

Contrary to widespread reports that the minister was in the U.S to meet with high-ranking executives of Twitter over the recent ban in Nigeria, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the minister is in the U.S. to meet with international media organizations and think tanks on the achievements of President Buhari’s administration and efforts made so far in tackling insurgency, banditry and all form of criminality.

Speaking with NAN after a separate interview with the three media organizations, the minister said the president had the right to choose his physician and “he is not the first head of state going abroad for treatment’’

“As Minister of Information and Culture today, if I have had a history of using a particular doctor in my life and I have confidence in him, I don’t think the fact that I am now a minister will change that.

“Irrespective of the nationality of that doctor, it is my personal decision to choose the doctor to use

“Like I explained to them, he is not the only Head of State that have gone abroad for treatment.

“If Mr President has a personal physician for over 30 years, who understands his case and has been managing him, why will it be an issue of contention to seek medical attention from him.

“It will not be right to say that because of what people are going to say, he has to stay in Nigeria to seek treatment,’’ he said.

The minister berated those who were criticizing the president’s action of seeking medical attention abroad stressing that it was an inconsequential attempt to de-market him.

He said in spite of challenges, the nation’s health sector is not in comatose to warrant a vote of no confidence on the sector

Mr. Mohammed disclosed that in spite of criticism of the sector, the World Health Organisation had rated Nigeria fourth in terms of the national response to COVID-19; although the WHO has since clarified it did no such rating.

Mr. Mohammed said the country attained the feat, notwithstanding the two-pronged challenges of vaccines nationalism and hesitancy.