Ear Infection: Buhari Has Shamed Nigeria By Seeking Treatment Abroad

A medical expert, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, who underwent a successful surgical operation for his ear infection in Nigeria earlier this year, has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to seek treatment for his persistent ear infection at a London hospital despite the presence of over 250 ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists in the country and a National Ear Centre in Kaduna State.

In an open letter to the president, Mr. Enabulele described his president’s decision to go on a 10-day medical vacation to London as a mockery of the change mantra of his administration and that of the professional competence of Nigerian doctors.

The president’s trip was informed by the advice of his personal physician and an Abuja-based ENT specialist, who recommended further evaluation of his condition.

While admitting that the nature of the persistent ear infection was not revealed in the statement announcing the president’s decision to seek medical help abroad, Mr. Enabulele commended Buhari for disclosing his medical condition, an action he said is a departure from the practice of leaders who hide their ailments.

“I am very constrained to state that this foreign medical trip flies in the face of the federal government’s earlier declaration of her resolve to halt the embarrassing phenomenon of outward medical tourism, which by the end of the year 2013, has led to a humongous capital flight of about $1 billion, particularly from expenses incurred by political and public office holders and their accompanying aides, whose foreign medical trips, most of which are unnecessary, were financed with tax payers’ resources,” he emphasized.