S’African minister lashes Buhari, Mugabe, others for seeking medical treatment abroad

Aaron Motsoaledi, the Health Minister of South Africa has come down hard on African leaders for seeking medical treatment abroad which in a way undermines the health service at home.

The minister voiced his grouse at a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting of African health ministers where he said Africa must be the only continent where the leaders travel abroad for health reasons.

He said; “I have said this before and I will say it again: we are the only continent that has its leaders seeking medical services outside the continent, outside our territory. We must be ashamed of that. This is called health tourism. We must promote our own.”

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Aaron made the statement at the conference hours after Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who himself makes regular trips to Singapore for eye treatment, opened the meeting.

However, Mr Mugabe had left the event by the time Mr Motsoaledi spoke.

In the past year, no less than five African heads of state like Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, Benin’s President Patrice Talon, Angola’s President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have all gone overseas for medical reasons.

 

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