Fred Itua, Abuja
The Senate, yesterday, called for an end to President Muhammadu Buhari’s frequent foreign medical trips.
Describing the trips as too expensive, the senate lamented a situation where the medical facility in Aso Rock Presidential Villa had been abandoned because of the preference for treatments in foreign countries by those who ought to make use of the hospital.
The upper legislative chamber said stopping foreign medical trips would ensure that proper attention was given to the Aso Rock medical clinic.
The Senate stated this position at a budget defence session organised by its Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs with State House Permanent Secretary, Tijani Umar.
Umar had presented a budget of N19.7 billion for 2021, out of which N1.3 billion was proposed for the State House Clinic.
Chairman of the Senate panel, Danjuma La’ah, said the committee would approve the budget for the State House Clinic, but insisted that the president and other top officials of government should no longer be flown abroad for medical treatment.
“The president cannot be travelling or be taken out of the country anytime he falls sick. He must be attended to in our hospitals here in Nigeria. We must ensure our hospital are fully equipped to world class standards so that no matter the emergency, our hospitals should be endowed with that capacity to attend to them before flying out of the need arises.”
The clinic is meant to be used by the president, vice president, their families and other staff of the presidency.
However, its sorry state in recent years has remained a source of concern to Nigerians as those it was designated for continue to fly out for treatment abroad at public expense.
First Lady, Aisha Buhari, once alleged that the facility lacked common analgesics like paracetamol and syringes.
Analysts also noted how in spite of the N13.59 billion budgetary provision for the State House Clinic in five years under President Buhari, the facility was ‘unfit’ to be used in the treatment of his late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.
Umar, however, said the Presidency was committed to reviving the State House clinic.
“What we have on ground now is something we can use to stabilise the State House clinic and this is what we have achieved; stability in supply of consumables, electricity, in motivating our doctors and medical professionals, in infrastructure renovation,upgrade and maintenance of facility and equipments.”
He appealed to the committee to intervene and assist with the construction of the presidential wing of the State House clinic as it was of national strategic importance.
A total of N3.5 billion was approved in the 2020 budget to take care of medical trips as well as travels and food which is more than double the N1.4billion of 2019 .
La’ah later informed journalists that he did not imply that Buhari should discontinue getting treatment abroad.
“What I actually tried to explain was that we should have a medical facility where we can stabilise the President if he falls ill before he’s flown abroad. That was what I said,” he said.