The minister
of health,Isaac Adewole,says President Muhammadu Buhari prefers receiving medical
treatment abroad because Nigerians do not know how to handle
information. Adewole was reacting to the criticisms trailing the
president’s medical trips abroad.
Speaking
to THISDAY, Adewole said the president, as an individual, is entitled
to his privacy. Describing Nigeria as a strange country, he said
Nigerians have no respect for people’s right to confidentiality.
He
said the case of Yusuf, the president’s son who was involved in a
motorbike accident, is an indication that the privacy of a patient could
be easily compromised in the country. You have forgotten that as our
president, he is also an individual. Unfortunately, we still, as a
country, we cannot handle information.
“The president’s son
was operated; they said he was dead. You see, it is a strange country;
and so, we do not respect people’s right to privacy and confidentiality.
We also have no respect for doctor-patient relationship. The same
person who went abroad was the same person who said, let my son be
managed in Nigeria. I was at the centre; people said let the boy be
flown abroad. The president said no. All he asked was, ‘Can they manage
him in Nigeria?’ I said, yes, and he said, ‘Go ahead’”.
The
minister further explained that Buhari’s frequent medical trips abroad
do not mean he has abandoned the nation’s health sector.
“He
is committed to improving the health sector, and working hard to make it
something everybody would be proud of. But you know doing this would
not happen overnight. So, let’s not over flog it. To me, it’s a
non-issue. Like the upgrade we are doing for cancer, it has taken us
almost one year because things have to be properly done. You can’t buy a
radiotherapy machine if there is no proper assessment. So upgrading the
health facility, he is committed to that. But it’s not going to happen
immediately. And we are working hard to make sure that things are in
proper shape.”