Doctors disagreed with former presidential spokesman Femi Adesina’s claim that former President Muhammadu Buhari might have died earlier if he had used Nigerian hospitals for his medical treatment.
The doctors said Adesina’s statement was unfair and gave a wrong idea about the many skilled doctors in Nigeria.
Adesina said in a TV interview that Buhari might not have lived through his health problems if he had only used Nigerian hospitals.
Adesina explained that Buhari went to the UK for treatment because of better expertise and limits in Nigeria’s health system at that time.
He said Buhari always had medical check-ups in London, even before he became president.
Adesina added that Buhari needed to stay alive to lead changes in Nigeria, and if he had insisted on using only Nigerian hospitals, he might have died because of lack of expertise.
But medical experts told reporters that Adesina’s comment ignored bigger problems that make people go abroad for treatment.
Professor Adebayo Onajole from the University of Lagos said many Nigerian doctors are well-known and work in top hospitals worldwide.
He also said many doctors treating Nigerians abroad are actually Nigerian themselves.
The professor said saying Nigeria lacks expertise is disrespectful to the doctors who provide good care in the country.
He gave an example: the former vice president had surgery in Nigeria and is still alive.
The professor said for many Nigerians who go abroad for treatment, it’s often about mindset, not skill.
He mentioned that some doctors Nigerians meet abroad are also from Nigeria, including his own classmate who operated on the former vice president.
The expert said good hospitals and experts exist in Nigeria.
He added that some hospitals in Nigeria can provide care as good or better than many in Europe or America.
But the question is if these hospitals are affordable and accessible to regular Nigerians.
He said Adesina’s statement shows he doesn’t fully understand how healthcare works in Nigeria.
The professor said many healthcare workers in the US and Europe studied in Nigeria, so the idea that Nigeria lacks experts is false.
Dr. Tope Osundara, president of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, said Buhari’s death in a UK hospital hurts trust in Nigeria’s health system.
Osundara told reporters that Buhari going abroad for treatment, even after much money was spent on health during his presidency, sends a bad message.
He said this lowers people’s trust in Nigerian hospitals, especially when top leaders don’t use them.
Osundara pointed out that many Nigerian hospitals were built with public money but are neglected by politicians, making them weak and unattractive.
He said if top officials don’t use these hospitals, it discourages investment and improvements.
Osundara said when leaders use Nigerian hospitals, it encourages more money and partnerships to improve the system.
But since leaders prefer foreign hospitals, it’s hard for investors to trust and invest in Nigeria’s health system.
He said spending money on foreign hospitals wastes funds that could improve Nigeria’s healthcare and pay its workers better.
Osundara called this practice financially bad for Nigeria and said it hurts the country’s economy.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invest more in health care and encourage leaders to use Nigerian hospitals.
Osundara said the president should work with lawmakers to provide better funding and stop the cycle of leaders going abroad for care.
He warned that every time a leader chooses a foreign hospital, it harms Nigeria’s health system, and this must end.
