My dear President Muhammadu Buhari,

Please get well and return home! We need you strong and healthy. But your prolonged stay in the United Kingdom is not helping our recessive economy. I imagine how much bill the country has been paying since you left. The visits being paid to you in London by other public servants (IGP, Senate President, House Speaker, etc) are also at the expense of tax payers like me. It is killing the economy further, while the masses keep groaning in economic hardship.

Sincerely, I never imagined you would be seeking foreign medical care like your predecessors. To me, the Change you promised means making the State House Clinic or National Hospital good enough to meet, at least, your health needs. One year is more than enough to make that happen. You still have a chance to do it this year. Mr President, please patronise our Nigerian hospitals to reduce capital flight. Nigeria has some of the best medical professionals in the world. Please, utilise their services at home. Medical tourism is an attribute of the “locust 16 years” and should not be sustained in the “change” era.

Health is currently No. 8 in your priority list; can you, please, bring it to be among the top 3?

What about Universal Health Coverage? Why is it that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund wasn’t budgeted for, as required by section 11 of the National Health Act 2014? Why must we borrow to fund vaccines? Should our mothers and children continue to die from preventable causes?

Oga Presido, the health sector is sinking further under your watch. Please blow the wind of positive change in its direction.

Let me stop here to keep my memo brief. I will be available to meet with you for further discussion on this when you return.

Sincerely,

•Dr Eze tweets @donlaz4u. He can be reached via lazudeze@gmail.com

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