Prof. Isaac Adewole, has once again explained why President Muhammadu
Buhari traveled overseas for treatment.
Adewole said the President opted for foreign treatment following the advice by his doctors.
The
minister made this clarification while speaking with newsmen on the
sidelines of the inauguration of Central Pharmacy Store and Maternity
Building at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex ,
Ile Ife.
The decision by President Buhari to travel abroad for treatment has been greeted with nationwide criticisms.
Many
faulted the President who has been advising citizens to patronize
Nigerian products for ignoring local hospitals for a London hospital.
Reacting, however, Adewale said the President only followed the instruction of his personal doctors.
According to him, “I won’t describe it as a large volume but we still have people travelling abroad.
“One,
it is a matter of choice and secondly, there is what is called bonding
between a doctor and his patient irrespective of where the doctor is and
that creates a problem, the patient may not want to see a new doctor.
“If
a patient is seeing a particular doctor and that doctor is not around
he may likely wait. You don’t want to be examined by a new doctor, you
don’t want to start all over again. It is one of the reasons and you
can’t take it away.
Adewole said, “The President is the best
person to speak on this, he is our leader but also a private citizen. He
is entitled to making a choice which will be influenced largely by the
advice of his doctor.”