Buhari’s abroad medical trips based on personal preference, not disrespect for Nigerian healthcare – Garba Shehu counters Adesina’s comment

Garba Shehu, former media aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has asserted that the former president’s frequent medical trips abroad were a matter of personal choice rather than a dismissal of Nigeria’s healthcare system.

In his comments on the Channels Television program Inside Sources, Shehu addressed remarks made by Femi Adesina, Buhari’s former spokesperson, who suggested that Buhari “could have died a long time ago” if he solely relied on Nigerian hospitals due to alleged deficiencies in expertise.

Shehu argued against this viewpoint, explaining that throughout his presidency, Buhari was under the care of Nigerian doctors. “I think it is wrong to assume that he fenced himself off from the Nigerian medical system,” Shehu stated, highlighting that Buhari had a chief personal physician and a medical consultant at the State House clinic.

He emphasized the availability of the president’s medical team for his immediate health needs, saying, “In terms of the immediacy of his own medical needs, they were always present to administer to his own needs.”

While acknowledging the former president’s consistent visits abroad for medical care, Shehu attributed this to Buhari’s longstanding medical relationships established overseas. “As for his attachment to his past practice abroad for his medicals, he had an attachment to that,” he explained, asserting that it was not a sign of disrespect towards Nigeria’s medical community.

Furthermore, Shehu pointed out the global recognition of Nigerian-trained doctors, stating, “For most people who also travel abroad and they need to see doctors — I have experienced this in America — you go into the office of the doctor and you find that it’s a Nigerian surgeon, it’s a Nigerian doctor.”

These discussions have gained renewed attention following Buhari’s passing on July 13 in a London clinic after a prolonged illness, with his burial taking place at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, on July 15.

Source: Vanguard newspaper