The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has urged Nigerians to stop going outside the country to get medical treatment.
He made this known at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, during the inauguration and handover of completed projects to the management of the hospital.
“Nigerians have suffered so much going abroad for medical treatment. This is not good for us and it must stop, because we can’t afford it again,” he said.
He was represented by Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, the minister of Science and Technology who explained that the goal was to check gully erosion and flooding around the hospital.
He decried the damning effects of the erosion to the environs and explained how it would benefit the hospital and neighbors.
He also noted that there was no more neglect of portions of Nigeria due to corruption as such a major project was being carried out in Ebonyi state.
He stressed that the location of the project in major teaching hospitals across the country showed that no part of the country would be neglected again.
He said,
“We have paid very serious attention to the health of our people and will continue to do so. The projects you celebrate their completion today were seriously affecting the workings of this teaching hospital. But today, we can say their completion have started helping to improve on the performance and welfare of both the staff and patients of this hospital.
“I wish to use this medium to congratulate the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, and his team in the Ecological Fund Office; the project contractor, Messrs Amayaro Nigeria Limited, as well as the project consultant, Messrs Kanode and Associates Limited, for their commitment to ensuring timely and speedy completion of the project.”
This comes on the cusp of the president taking several trips to the UK for medical treatment during his tenure.
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