Buhari’s overseas treatment signposts failure to fix healthcare system -PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said the routine overseas medical checkup embarked by President Muhammadu Buhari is a direct indictment of his Presidency over failure to fix the national healthcare system.

The party described as worrisome that under President Buhari, even the hitherto highly rated State House Clinic, has become so moribund that it cannot provide a simple medical checkup service for Mr. President.

While the PDP has nothing against where any person, including President Buhari, seeks his or her medical services, the PDP said it “is worried that the Buhari Presidency is taking no decisive steps to fix our health care system, ostensibly because Mr. President can afford overseas medical treatment at tax payers’ expense”.

National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement said the PDP “is disturbed that while Mr. President jets out for medical treatment in well-equipped hospitals abroad, our hospitals and medical personnel are in a very sorry situation while millions of our compatriots suffer, with many dying on daily basis from conditions that have simple medical solutions.

“It is indeed heartrending that Nigerians are suffering this huge misfortune of having this highly insensitive, incompetent, and corrupt leadership of very selfish individuals who do not care about the welfare of other citizens.

“More saddening is that all the institutions, policies and programmes established by the PDP, which hitherto ensured access to affordable healthcare for Nigerians have been wrecked by the Buhari administration”.

The party urged President Buhari to show leadership by reflecting on the fact that millions of Nigerians cannot afford overseas treatment and have become despondent by his failure to take decisive steps to address national healthcare needs.

It charged President Buhari to know that his duty as President is not only for his personal needs but more importantly for the needs of the generality of Nigerians.

The PDP, however, called on Nigerians to remain calm and not resign to despondency, urging them to collectively work to rescue the nation from the “stranglehold of misrule”.