More and More we are splashed with headlines of African presidents returning home after several months of medical treatment abroad. But at home, we are still confronted with the reality of the millions of people who either die from preventable diseases or don’t have access to health care.
Last week I was reading a 2016 research carried out by Obumneke Obieche and Valentine Odili from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), their report shows that on the average, Nigerians spend a minimum of N4,870. 00 in the treatment of malaria per episode. That is about $13.5. Ironically, less than half of that amount, N1891.00 ($5.2) is what the Nigerian Government in 2018 will spend on the health of each citizen for the entire year, this will be in the eventuality that the 2018 proposed budgetary allocation is eventually passed by the National Assembly.
After reading this I was shocked at how little our governments are willingly to spend in the health sector, yet invest more in purchasing arms and paying for trips abroad. Don’t get me wrong, equipping our military is important because we need to be prepared just in case we are invaded by extinct dinosaurs or aliens from Mars.
Recently we have seen trends like #resume or resign”go viral and fortunately for Nigeria their president did return home after spending weeks receiving treatment in an undisclosed London hospital.( naija ne di carry last)..Mean while in Cameroon ,we have a more complicated issue of dealing with a “healthy “ president who has been in power since 1982 .We hear news captions from state owned CRTV “the president has just returned to the country after a private visit abroad”.na wow ohh , which one is private visit again? As Cameroonians we are soo accustom to this headlines that someone said the president works in the “Private sector”. A recent investigative report confirmed what we already knew about this private visits and it is estimated that Paul Biya has spent at least four and a half years on private travel during his time in power, costing the country an estimated U.S.$65 million on accommodation and almost U.S.$120 million on flights. (even though we damn well know the figures are worse)
Every day we speculate the health and fitness of the president and those close to him think we just have “bed belley“.We are not haters ,we just don’t want death to pull a fast one on us. So, your Excellency relax …May I remind you no human being works for more than 30 years without it taking a toll on their health? (if you think I’m lying ask Obama who went from “fine- dark- haired -caramel- brother into greyed- haired- vanilla- brother in over 8 years as president) body no be fire-wood nah…Maybe we should ask Uncle Bob how hard it was for him to lie to the world and even himself that he could “stand up” and “walk” for Zimbabwe , Alas, we all know he was carried /thrown out of office .
Your Excellency is there an explanation why you are so afraid of telling us, you are old ,frail and unfit to rule?…because we can’t pray for people we don’t know what they are sick of …Maybe treating your Excellency’s health as a secret is of national security … I don’t know, since we all know you are surrounded by thirst-for- power parasites and the moment the state of your health is revealed, Gbam! there goes a coup! So to prevent this from happening, His Excellency has no other choice but hold on to power like his birth right…
As a public servant means that you are answerable to the people …a sick /absentee president who spends more time abroad than home is more of a threat to national security than an eminent attack from terrorist…If you most, why don’t you use the medical doctors assigned to you, paid for by the tax payers or are they increasingly becoming a formality? Well I hate to burst your bubbles the doctors His Excellency rejects in Africa are the same doctors treating him abroad …It is like appointing “Special Advisers To The Presidency “and don’t necessarily take advise from them.My grandmother told me It was an abomination for chiefs to die out of their palace …a sick chief was treated in his palace. Please if you most stay in power ,we beg you stay home and receive treatment.
We are tired of talking about Crooked officials who have stolen billions, stashed their loot abroad and left us with the bill. Stop your insatiable appetite for debt, if you most borrow plow the debt into reasonable projects. Your Excellency, before you any more money on trivialities such as; inaugurations, national day celebrations,” private visits”, white elephant projects never realized ; please invest in research, hospitals, African traditional medicine ,education ,good wages for our doctors ,infrastructures ,before you travel abroad for another “private visit” ensure we don’t have to lose another woman to maternal mortality ,or a child to malaria .
achoethel 