Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari died in a London clinic yesterday. And some commentators (see video below) have already ignited the debate as to why many African leaders don’t use the hospitals or medical facilities that are present in their own countries.

Our article published many years ago (February 2015) on the topic can be accessed below, and explored the betrayal against the citizenry and lack of patriotism on the part of African leaders, when they continued to seek medical attention abroad, while citizens had no choice but make do with hospitals that are poorly funded, have no medicine, have unpaid and unmotivated staff, and are simply inadequate:

African leaders must stop seeking medical treatment overseas

Some older folks see it as fashionable or a sign of status to fly to London or Malaysia or Qatar for a Health Checkup. Online, some people even boast on getting onto a plane for some important sounding appointment …

But, unless the real reason of the trip is something that will bring capital back to mama Africa, and unless you’re paying with your own money, it doesn’t look good for the leader’s image. And let’s state it very clearly once again that it’s neither fashionable nor a sign of status for an African leader or public official to fly abroad for medical attention. In my view, it’s yet again another indication that the leadership class continues to fail ordinary citizens.

European leaders (even Asian Leaders), for example, when they need medical attention, rarely go abroad for such, but use the facilities in their own countries – which they have deliberately taken time to invest in. You’ll never hear that Xi Jinping of China, for example, has flown to London or Sydney for a medical check-up. You will never hear such a thing.

So why can’t Africans Leaders learn this very simple lesson. And then subsequently start investing adequately into good healthcare infrastructure and supplies, to enable state of the art hospitals to be built and resourced. That way, EVERYONE can begin to enjoy an acceptable level of healthcare at home (or at least on the African continent {Egypt, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa even Tanzania – can very easily build great hospitals}). And that way, African countries can save their tax payers of millions of dollars in hospital bills abroad – money which most African countries urgently need for more urgent expenses like poverty alleviation and education).