It’s his choice, health minister defends Buhari decision to seek medical attention abroad

Isaac Adewole, minister of health, says President Muhammadu Buhari has the right to determine where he wants to seek medical attention.

Buhari is currently in the UK on a vacation, and his critics have asked why the president could not stay back home.

But in an interview with reporters at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Teaching Hospital Complex in Ile-Ife, Osun state, on Monday, Adewole said doctors were the only competent people to explain why Buhari had to be treated in a foreign hospital.

“I won’t describe it as a large volume but we still have people travelling abroad. One, it is a matter of choice and secondly, there is what is called bonding between a doctor and his patient irrespective of where the doctor is and that creates a problem, the patient may not want to see a new doctor,” he said.

“If a patient is seeing a particular doctor and that doctor is not around he may likely wait. You don’t want to be examined by a new doctor, you don’t want to start all over again. It is one of the reasons and you can’t take it away.

“The president is the best person to speak on this, he is entitled to making a choice which will be influenced largely by the advice of his doctor.”

Adewole also canvassed patronage for Nigerian doctors, declaring their services better than their counterparts abroad.

He commended the management OAU teaching hospital for the “effective services” rendered to the masses.

He also dismissed speculations that the hospital’s services were limited and that it had no effective medical equipment.

Adewole reiterated the plan of the federal government to provide standard healthcare for people across the nation.

He emphasised that the rapid response initiative (RRI) of the federal ministry of health would continue to provide quick assistance especially to the less privileged.

“The RRI will continue for the citizenries to benefit the more,” he said.

“Majority of the commoners that cannot afford their hospital bills will have their free medical treatment including surgeries.”

One of those who benefitted from a free hernia surgery, Idris Oluwaseun, lauded the federal government for treating his ailment of several years.

Basirat Adesiyan, appreciated the federal government for giving her the opportunity to partake in the free eye surgery and for obtaining free eye glasses.

Earlier, Victor Adetiloye, the chief medical director (CMD) of the hospital, acknowledged the commitment of the minister in moving healthcare services forward across the country.

Adetiloye described OAUTHC as the best hospital in the country, noting some of its achievements in surgeries to include the separation of siamese twins and over 300 laparoscopic surgeries.

“Others include the first renal transplantation; 11 successful kidney transplantations; small incision cataract surgeries; developing the vitreo-retina surgery, therapeutic gastrointestinal respiratory and oncological endoscopic procedures performed on routine basis, and 16 open heart surgeries, among others,” he said.