The Nigeria Medical Association has said the country has very competent Ear, Neck and Throat (ENT) specialists who can treat President Mr. Muhammadu Buhari’s ear infection. The general secretary of the association, Tanko Sununu, said there are competent ENT surgeons who can take care of the president’s recurring ear trouble.
Speaking with our source on Monday following public outrage over Mr. Buhari’s latest trip to the United Kingdom to treat an ear infection, after his administration had banned medical travels for public office holders except in cases that cannot be handled in Nigeria.
Mr. Sununu however said that the medical body could not take a definitive position regarding the president’s decision to travel until it received details of the president’s health. Mr. Sununu had revealed early Monday that the NMA was in touch with the president’s personal physician to get details, but later spoke again to the newspaper in the evening saying the association was yet to get required details.
“In Nigeria, we have very competent ENT surgeons in the country. We have a lot of competent ENT surgeons throughout the federation,” Mr. Sununu said in a telephone interview.
“Up till now we haven’t gotten the details from the president’s physician. Officially at the moment, we cannot comment on whether the president’s trip was right or wrong based on the fact that we don’t know the extent of the condition. We are made to understand that they had conversations with Nigeria’s ENT surgeons along with his personal physician. So, I don’t know if it is the assessment of the ENT surgeon that warranted him going out for further evaluation and treatment.”
Mr. Sununu explained that the president couldn’t seek treatment without a referral from a physician in Nigeria.
“You can never do away with the referral in medicine. Just like I said in the morning, we only make official pronouncements based on the information that is available to us,” he said. “We don’t want to make a hasty judgment on what we don’t have rightful information about. Health is an issue that has to be devoid of political inclination. We want to base our judgment on the facts.”
Source
Premium Times
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