President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is due back to the country on Tuesday having completed his treatment of an undisclosed ailment at a Wiesbaden Hospital in Germany. He left Nigeria last Monday after assenting to this year�s Appropriation Act at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President was said to have taken ill after Jumat services on April 11 and had to quickly travel to the European country to see his private doctors for medical review.
Presidential spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi had stated that the President’s sickness had to do with allergic reaction. He also said that he (Yar�Adua) would be back before the end of last week.
THISDAY had reported that there are about 10 hospitals in Wiesbaden namely St. Josefs- Hospital, Dr.-Horst-Schmidt-Kliniken Klinikum der Landes-hauptstadt, Deutsche Klinik f�r Diagnostik GmbH, Asklepios Paulinenklinik, MEI – Medical Electronics Vertriebs GmbH, Dr.-Horst-Schmidt-Kliniken Krankenhausapoth-eke, Aivimed GmbH, Reha /Medizin-Technik ms Wiesbaden GmbH, Mediz-inische Klinik am Kurpark and Dr. med. Klaus Nier-mann.
But it was not clear last night, which of the hospitals the President received his medical attention.
THISDAY checks at the Presidency, however, rev-ealed that, Yar�Adua, who has already been discharged by his physicians, deferred his scheduled return at the weekend to Tuesday to enable him round-off his on-going consultations with groups, Nigerians and friends of the country in Germany.
In an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday, Adeniyi said the President had been following developments back home (Nigeria) and has had to give directives in some cases.
Reacting to comments about the President’s trip abroad, NAN also quoted Adeniyi as saying that: “There is nothing that precludes the president from seeking healthcare abroad. Even leaders in advanced countries do that.
“But I share the position that our country should be able to make travelling abroad for medicals, either for the President or any other citizen, a matter of choice rather than of necessity�.
He said the task before the President “is to ensure that the nation meets that critical challenge, by ensuring that every Nigerian has access to healthcare system that works and he is committed to doing that in the life of his administration.”
Adeniyi said the President had consistently argued that when the on-going reforms of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were completed, “the huge funds that usually go into Joint Venture Cash Calls would be deployed into education and health, two areas he considers very important. But his efforts go beyond funding existing hospitals,” he said.
“For instance, I am aware of a panel working on the modalities for establishing first class diagnostic and cardiac centres in at least three Nigerian cities.”
Adeniyi also said the idea was for government to partner with local and some foreign investors with critical input from Nigerian experts in the Diaspora.
“There are also on-going discussions with some internationally reputed medical groups interested in providing medical solutions in Nigeria under a private public partnership arrangement.
“So, the issue is not that the President is seeking medicals abroad but that he has responsibility for providing same for Nigerians at home, and I am very sure he will.”
During his campaign for presidency in March 2007, Yar�Adua had to hurriedly travel to Germany for medical care after he was said to have suffered breathing difficulties.
The development then sparked a wild rumour that the then presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was dead. He had to speak to the media from the hospital to reassure Nigerians that he was hale and hearty.
Apr202008