Hypocrisy of another kind
By Levi Obijiofor

IN January 2007, months before he was named the winner of the unresolved presidential election, controversy broke out about the true state of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's health. Sixteen months later, Yar'Adua's health condition has returned to the front page of national newspapers. Although his minders have been quick to play down the seriousness of the President's health, there is no indication that the debate would disappear soon. Even as he signed the long-delayed 2008 budget on Monday this week, Yar'Adua looked pale and unwell.

By training, medical doctors (at home and overseas) are skilled to assess the conditions of their patients, to diagnose symptoms that could prove terminal if undetected, and also to assist in treating their patients. Prompt diagnosis serves as early warning signals and helps to detect future trouble spots. There is no better place to seek medical check-up or treatment than a highly equipped and professionally staffed hospital. Of course, healthcare in Nigeria is in a mess. But governments are elected to solve problems and to provide for the basic needs of the people. Healthcare is a basic need.

The debate about Yar'Adua's health has also raised questions about whether it is appropriate for a president to shun the services provided by local medical hospitals and consultants in preference for overseas medical facilities and specialists. We are in awe of overseas medical institutions. No. Our political leaders are in some kind of debt to overseas medical hospitals, specialists and consultants. It is hypocritical for political leaders to encourage us to patronise national institutions in the name of patriotism while their actions contradict what they preach.

There are troubling contradictions that must be resolved by anyone who seeks to justify Yar'Adua's decision to go overseas for medical check-up. Yar'Adua has a personal physician who is paid by the state to look after the president's health. But Yar'Adua also prefers to patronise the services of overseas medical specialists. This much we can deduce from the media statement attributed to one of the president's special assistants. Each time Yar'Adua rushes overseas for medical check-up or treatment, he casts an adverse vote of confidence on his personal physician and the medical facility that is attached to the presidency in Abuja. Each time Yar'Adua goes overseas for medical treatment, he makes an unmistakable statement that neither the president's physician nor the Abuja hospital is capable of dealing with the president's medical condition.

It might seem alright for the president to patronise overseas specialists because he can afford to pay for their services but that kind of behaviour also suggests the president has no regard for the quality of medical services available to the rest of us in public hospitals in the country.

The last time Yar'Adua staggered on the floor of his presidential campaign podium and his doctor noticed some unusual movements in his heart, he (Yar'Adua) was rushed to Germany straight from his campaign camp for medical attention. That was in early March 2007. One year later, Yar'Adua, now president, has hopped off to Germany because something unusual has gripped his health and it was deemed urgent enough to hurry him overseas for proper attention.

We can now glean a standard response from the Presidency each time Yar'Adua shows signs of fading health - don't muck around with "ill-trained" medical doctors and poorly equipped hospitals in Nigeria. Take the president to an overseas medical facility once you notice anything unusual in his medical condition.

As president, Yar'Adua's health deserves priority attention. But does priority attention justify taking him to an overseas medical hospital or clinic even for a check-up? What message is Yar'Adua conveying to the nation by patronising overseas medical institutions and belittling local doctors and hospitals? Is he saying that public and private hospitals in the country are not good enough to attend to the president's health? Is he suggesting that it's alright for political leaders to undertake medical check-up overseas because they can afford to do so? Is he suggesting that political leaders are morally entitled to shop at overseas medical institutions whenever their heartbeat goes off their regular rhythm?

Is Yar'Adua implying that medical specialists and consultants in the country lack the professional training and skills to treat political leaders? Is the president hinting that medical institutions that train doctors in Nigeria are glorified high schools? Is Yar'Adua insinuating that it is better for university teaching hospitals in the country to shut down, relocate overseas or auction their facilities to the highest foreign bidder? Is the president implying indirectly that the sustained campaigns by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) for better funding of public hospitals are justified or unjustified? Surely, if public hospitals are not good enough for our political "servant-leaders", they cannot be good for anybody.

There are antecedents to Yar'Adua's latest health scare. Amid swirling rumours of his poor health early last year, journalists sought to clarify directly from the man the true state of his health. So, when Yar'Adua visited President Olusegun Obasanjo at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday, January 4, 2007, Yar'Adua was asked pointedly whether he was in good health or poor health. He responded: "I am fit and healthy." Yar'Adua added he would be happy to prove his enemies wrong by engaging them in a game of squash. "I will invite them to a game of squash. If they can play 12 straight sets with me, they are welcome." He missed the point. Good health is not all about playing squash.

Yar'Adua's claim to good health did not jell with public opinion because the Nigerian Tribune of Thursday, January 11, 2007, noted how Obasanjo had acknowledged that Yar'Adua once suffered from ill health but Obasanjo also insisted that Yar'Adua had since been "healed" as far back as 2001. Not many people, in particular medical doctors would accept Yar'Adua's argument because playing squash (or any game for that matter) is clearly not sufficient evidence of good health. There are many people who don't play squash but maintain good health. Playing squash might be a very good form of physical exercise but it is incorrect to assert that a good game of squash is all we need to maintain excellent health. Good health is like a nutritious salad. It comes with the right mix of ingredients, such as regular medical checks, good exercises, as well as healthy food.

For clarity, the rush to overseas medical institutions by Nigerian leaders did not start last year. At a point during his eight-year dictatorship, Ibrahim Babangida dashed to France to treat a recurring knee problem. At about the same time that Yar'Adua was guest of a German medical facility in March 2007, vice president Atiku Abubakar was also flown overseas for urgent medical treatment of his problematic leg which, we were informed, developed after an accident during a round of physical exercise.

Even the disgraced Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, also went to Germany for another kind of medical treatment -- to repair a bulging tummy. That medical trip marked the beginning of his troubles because it was on his way back from Germany that Alamieyeseigha decided to stop over in London. His predicament multiplied in London when he was picked up by the Metropolitan Police and charged with money laundering.

The quality of services provided in our medical institutions and hospitals will never improve if political leaders continue to shun their responsibilities. Yar'Adua and his ministers must show greater commitment to improving the deteriorating medicare situation in the country, not by running to overseas medical hospitals for personal medical treatment. The question that confronts all of us is: how can the nation ever uplift the standard of medical practice in the country and the poor state of diagnostic equipment in hospitals when the policy makers are more interested in superior services offered by overseas medical institutions?

Robot  Villager

# 1 Hypocrisy of another kind ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 18.04.2008 07:20

aguabata  Villager

# 2 Dear Levi, The pressure of anger built up during the 8yrs rule of Obasanjo is dissipitating even if it is superficial, Yaradua has changed a number of Obasanjos choices and policies that should annoy him. are you not inspired whenever a rigged election is overturned, are you not hopeful as Ajaokuta steel is being overhauled.Yaradua is sick and people shouldnt take advantage of that unnecessarily, its a bit unkind to ridicule him because he has a regimented lifestyle due to his health, his 10 months rule is better than that of the otta farmer who fires on all six cylinders. That said we should put Yaradua on his toes, so far he is on the right track on a good number of issues. Posted by aguabata| 18.04.2008 12:51

truthsayer33  Villager

# 3 instead of going abroad for treatment why not invite the foreign doctors to Nigeria? This is what the Cubans did for Castro. Posted by truthsayer33| 18.04.2008 23:15

Agidimolaja  Villager

# 4 Nigeria's old story.It is long story and the story continues.Our shamelessness continues and our stupidity knows no end. Nearly fifty years after our so called Independence we are still dependent upon foreigners to heal us of our ailments.We still depend upon them to build our roads and help us erect buildings,construct bridges and do for us practically everthing. Sad story indeed! Is it not a shame that the President of Nigeria has to go abroad for medical attention?Is it not a shame that all our elites, politicians and whoever can afford it {by hook or by crook} do likewise?Surely it is a big shame except that majority refused to see it so or are just so blinded to the truth. But it is no secret that majority of Nigerians don't know shame and don't care about it hence we behave as we do.It is even a thing to boast about that he/she is flown abroad for medical attention.It is a big brag among our people that "I need to go and see my Doctor in Germany,London etc." Poor miserable leaders of Nigeria;when are you all going to come back to your senses? For how long are you going to remain so shameless?When are you going to stop stealing and looting the treasury?If not for your thieving hands,we ought to have worldclass hospitals all over our country and there should not have been any reason to fly out for medical treatments.But you have stolen all the money and the remaining have been squandered hence we have not a single hospital that is equiped to treat the President and the hapless masses. Nearly 140million innocent Nigerians have no access to good or modern health care system yet our wicked leaders just don't care a bit.What a shame! Therefore I'm always not sad whenever I heard that a Nigerian notable died in the hospital abroad, having been rushed out there for better medical attention.The same death that our primitive leaders and well to do people were running away from in Nigeria was awaiting them overseas and had claimed them accordingly. Allah wa ku baru! Posted by Agidimolaja| 19.04.2008 02:48

PAPIG  Villager

# 5 YAR'ADUA NOT MY PRESIDENT UNTIL DUELY ELECTED IN A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION I am just one Nigerian. I however refuse to recognise Yar'Adua as my president until he is duely elected in a free and fair election. I believe the man himself agrees judging by his pronoucements on DUE PROCESS as the bedrock of his administration. The snag is, his benefactor or godfather- Olusegun Obasanjo- warmed his way into Nigerian hearts by claiming to fight CORRUPTION whilst embodying this much maligned ten letter word. We have been taken for enough ride and it has come to the time where second best is just not enough for a nation of over 140 million citizens. And to the present issue. I have no qualms whatsoever for him to seek treatment abroad, so far the bill is footed from his own pocket. At least judging from what he declared on assuming office, he has the wherewithal to foot his medical bill abroad. It is another issue how he came about the amount declared. One can easily work out how much a senior lecturer (did not achieve this status) and a two-time governor in Nigeria would have accumulated, even if he did not spend any kobo and inherited some loot from his elder brother who happened to be the number 2 of the one and only 'i dey kampe'. HYPOCRISY is not a word our so called leaders recognise and this is even more so with Yar'Adua and his predecessor who has turned round to 'pity us' for his alleged mind-boggling criminal acts. Yar'Adua may surprise us by telling us that his medical bill abroad is not being funded by Nigerian tax-payers and i may reconsider my second sentence. I said MAY! Posted by PAPIG| 19.04.2008 14:00

Olamide  Villager

# 6 =truthsayer33;4295007236>instead of going abroad for treatment why not invite the foreign doctors to Nigeria? This is what the Cubans did for Castro. Thank you Soothsayer but Cuba is not Nigeria and Nigerians cannot be expected to think like Cubans. Inviting foreign doctors to Cuba to treat Castro afforded the medical doctors in Cuba the opportunity to work with their more qualified foreign colleagues and build their capacities to deal with similar problems in the future. Think about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that were also saved in terms of providing Castro security, feeding and accomodating the officials that would have accompanied him if he went abroad for treatment. All the senior officials that will follow UMYA to Germany will collect estacodes and that mattered more to them than advising the president to stay in Nigeria for medical treatment. What is wrong with procuring the equipment and installing in one of the teaching hospitals? It is the same problem with power generation. People in charge of power generation are also the major distributors for the generator manufacturers in Nigeria. UMYA is not laying good example by going abroad and as every commentator here had mentioned, it is an indictment of our hospitals that are hospitals in name only but mortuaries as a matter of fact. Remember that UMYA is also in possesion of reports that Obasanjo awarded the refurbishment of the teaching hospitals to Iyabo, his daughter who installed equipments thrown out as garbage by local hospitals in Europe. I am sure he wants to live to see his grand-children, that is why he is avoiding Nigerian hospitals. I disagree that our Doctors are ill-trained. they are ill-equipped and when they go abroad, they always perform wonders because they have necesary equipments to work with. What UMYA is doing is not also strange, it is the way of "Naija''. Remember that the NFA sent four senior officials to London to interview a foreign coach when it does not require a Professor of Economics to realize that sending a plane ticket, even first class one to the applicant to come to Abuja for the interview would be cheaper and save thousands of dollars in estacode but as mentioned above,it is the ''Naija'' way to make money from everything. Until there is a law banning public office holders from going for medical treatment abroad, our hospitals will remain where they are now, that is in the 19th century. Posted by Olamide| 20.04.2008 05:10

PAPIG  Villager

# 7 =Olamide;4295007770> Until there is a law banning public office holders from going for medical treatment abroad, our hospitals will remain where they are now, that is in the 19th century. You have hit the nail on the head my brother. It would also be worthwhile and may be the way forward to ensure our elected officials are also banned from the CONTRACT AWARDING PROCESS, the raison d'etre these unscrupulous militricians are in office in the first place. Pardon my naivety, it may just leave the field open for the truly honest, selfless and dedicated amongst us to aspire to leadership positions in our paralytic fatherland. In the current Nigerian climate with her well entrenched systemic corruption, it has been said that even the pope or head imam would be found wanting and i am inclined to agree. This is however not an excuse for honest citizens to stay out of our polity as it is precisely this reason that we have been governed and continues to be led by mediocres and bucaneers. Thanks Olamide. Posted by PAPIG| 21.04.2008 12:53

dem  Villager

# 8 I find myself wondering these days whether Nigeria's leaders are expecting a people's revolution at some point. How else do we explain what happens in the country and how these people relate to the country. All their treasures - and kids - are abroad. They sneeze, they go abroad. The roads are bad, they buy 4-wheel drives and small planes. That means they don't care or believe the country would survive so they are just sorting themselves out and playing for time. YD, who thinks himself the president is telling Nigerians he cannot afford to play with his own life and absolutely has no faith in the Nigerian healthcare system and its practitioners that he and his clique had not bothered to invest anything for God knows how long. I mean this man has had this ailment for a long time and he was governor of a State for 8 years, still he never thought it fit to setup 1 decent hospital in Katsina. I am fairly sure that even if this man completes 2 terms as president he will see investment in Nigeria's healthcare as putting aside a sizeable budget in the presidency to enable unrestricted travel access for him and his elite type everytime their health is threatened. The paradox of course is that the medical team currently treating him in Germany is likely to include a Nigrian Dr that was frustrated out of the country. Hope he gets well sha... Posted by dem| 21.04.2008 15:35