The president of the Nigeria Medical Association, Mike Ogrima, has debunked claims that Nigerian doctors could not treat President Muhammadu Buhari, prompting him to seek medical attention abroad.
Mr. Buhari had on Monday left Nigeria for United Kingdom where he is billed to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist to treat an ear infection.
He will away for 10 days.
The president has been criticized for opting to seek attention in a foreign hospital, especially after his government barred officials from similar trips, except for cases that cannot be handled in Nigeria.
But Mr. Ogrima, a professor of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, told journalists in Jos on Thursday that Nigerian medical personnel could handle the president’s health challenge.
“We have 250 TNC surgeon doctors all over Nigeria, capable of handling the health challenge President Muhammadu Buhari is being faced with,” he said.
The NMA president however said most hospitals in the country lacked basic equipment to carry out the treatment, stressing “maybe the equipment will not be available for treatment, but we have qualified TNC surgeon doctors”.
He said the decision of the president to travel on medical vacation was given by his personal doctor.
He said there was nothing wrong for the president’s personal physician to recommend that he should travel overseas for further medical attention.
“We do not know the reason for his referral to UK for treatment because the present administration had made clear that it was not in support of Nigerians seeking medical attention outside the country,” the NMA president said.
Commenting on quackery in the medical profession, Mr. Ogrima said professional doctors who contravened rules of medical practice risked being jailed and banned from practicing.
Eze Afrika
