Buhari’s independence address scores low on health

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Independence Day address angered Nigeria’s medical community for being too brief and leaving a lot to be desired on health, a vice president of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) Dr Osahon Enabulele, has said.  He said he was pained that Buhari’s address did not contain even a passing comment on the health […]

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Independence Day address angered Nigeria’s medical community for being too brief and leaving a lot to be desired on health, a vice president of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) Dr Osahon Enabulele, has said.
 He said he was pained that Buhari’s address did not contain even a passing comment on the health of Nigerians.
According to him, the speech touched on insurgency, power supply and anti-corruption campaign, but CMA expected Buhari to affirm commitment to the health of Nigerians.
Enabulele who is also the  immediate past president of the Nigerian Medical Association said it caused distress that President Buhari did not use his broadcast to affirm commitment to effective use of public health facilities by government officials in effort to shore up support.
“As a Nigerian, I expected him to make a firm declaration that he, members of his lovely family and all political and public office holders shall henceforth utilize available healthcare facilities in Nigeria, and would only be sponsored abroad for medical care, at the country’s expense, in line with the provisions of the National Health Act,” he said.
Enabulele said evidence of poor political commitment to health care was poor use of health facilities by political leaders and public office holders, fuelling medical tourism which costs the country an estimated $1 billion annually, under government sponsorship and at the expense of tax payers.
He added that President Buhari must lead the way in abandoning the era where the health sector is used only as an electioneering campaign tool and  hastily abandoned soon after election  into office.
Enabulele urged President Buhari to make a public policy statement about halting medical tourism and giving full effect to the National Health Act as part of his ongoing anti-graft campaign.