S.O.S ALIEME

When will a foreign President (serving or retired) die in a Nigerian hospital as a result of seeking medical treatment? Nigerian leaders especially presidents are fond of travelling abroad to receive medical attention whenever they fall sick.  Do you know the irony of the thing? The irony of the thing is that the leaders who travel out to receive medical treatment are being attended to by Nigerian doctors who followed the ‘Japa’ syndrome because of poor remuneration or poor treatment meted to them by the Nigerian government. 

What an irony of life? Former and late Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari died recently in a London hospital on Sunday July 13, 2025. Buhari led Nigeria as Military Head of State from 1983 to 1985 and later served as Civilian President from 2015 to 2023. He had to his credit 2 years as military head of state and 8 years as civilian president making a total of 10 years.  By implication this man dictated poverty and fortune on Nigerians depending on what you experienced during that time.  For the 10 years that this man governed Nigeria he could not build or upgrade a well-equipped standard hospital in Nigeria?  What is the moral justification for an incumbent or retired president going abroad for medical treatment?

Nigeria used to be a land flowing with milk and honey but presently Nigeria has become a land of suffering and pain. We have a super-abundance of the two. Citing Rev. Fr. Anthony Akinwale (OP) in one of his write-ups: he said “there is extreme poverty in the midst of plenty.  Some people can afford to fly business class to Dubai or Europe or North America, while some others are compelled to trek to and from work.  They cannot even afford an Okada ride. Some people can send all their children to some of the most expensive schools in far-away land, where there is no strike actions by academic or non-academic staff of universities, while some others cannot afford to pay their children’s school fees in Nigeria. Some can travel abroad to receive the best medical attention.  Some others cannot afford to buy Panadol tablets in Nigeria.  Some people can chose what to eat and what not to eat, while some others cannot find anything to eat. Some people are protected by all the security agencies in the land, the police, the military and the secret service, while some are exposed to and helpless before kidnappers, bandits, herdsmen, armed robbers and Boko Haram.  Such is the story in Nigeria.  It is a story of scandalous contrasts.  We live on a land that is richly endowed by the Almighty in his mercy.  Yet we live in poverty and insecurity.  There is enormous suffering in the land.” Apologies to Fr. Akinwale.

The trend of Nigerian leaders seeking medical treatment abroad has significant negative implications for the country, impacting the economy, healthcare system, and public perception. It undermines public trust in the local healthcare system, drains financial resources, and creates a perception that local facilities are inadequate. There is an African idiom that ‘if a man does not eat at home, he may never give his wife enough money to cook a good pot of soup.’ This might just be true when applied to politicians on the continent seeking medical help anywhere but home.

Africa’s public health systems are in a depressing condition. Preventable diseases still kill a large number of women and children, people travel long distances to receive health care, and across the continent patients sleep on hospital floors. On top of this, Africa’s health professionals emigrate in droves to search for greener pastures.  It can be argued that private citizens opting to seek medical help in other countries don’t owe the public any explanation, because it’s their own affair. But medical tourism among Nigeria’s political elite is a completely different kettle of fish and a big cause for concern, because they should be responsible for the development of proper health care for the citizens of their countries.

It’s well documented that Nigerian politicians go abroad for medical treatment. The reasons for exercising this choice are obvious: they lack confidence in the health systems they oversee, and they can afford the trips given that the expenses are paid for by taxpayers. The result is that they have little motivation to change the status quo. Medical tourism by Nigerian politicians could therefore be one of the salient but overlooked causes of the nation’s poor health systems and infrastructure.

Since the beginning of 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria had spent more time in the UK for medical treatment than he had in his own country. By seeking treatment abroad, Buhari broke one of his own electoral promises which was to end medical tourism. The picture painted above is shameful. As long as Nigeria’s leaders keep going abroad for medical reasons, the ambition for better health infrastructure will remain an illusion. Nigeria pays a heavy cost for this behaviour. It can be estimated that in Nigeria, the funds spent to treat top government officials abroad every year could build 10 well equipped hospitals.

Not only do the leaders travel with elaborate entourages, but they also travel in expensive chartered or presidential jets. For example, the cost of parking Buhari’s plane during his three month spent in London is estimated at £360,000. That’s equivalent to about 0.07% of Nigeria’s N304 billion budget allocation for health this year. And there would have been many other heavier costs incurred during his stay. The failure of leaders to improve health care and stem brain drain also carries a heavy price. The effective health systems in western and Asian countries that are being patronised by Nigerian leaders only exist because they were developed, and are consistently maintained, through political commitment and visionary leadership, qualities that are clearly lacking in Nigeria.

To bring change, Nigerian citizens must start condemning political medical tourism. They must also push for regulations to curb the shameful practice. Taxpayer funded medical trips should be banned and criteria set detailing what sicknesses that can be covered by the public purse. Though a law to this effect exists in Nigeria, it appears to be ineffective. It must, and should work. Essentially, if the leaders do not experience the poor state of health care, they might never strive for any positive changes to it.

God Bless Nigeria!!!