The trend of African presidents traveling out of their countries for treatment abroad has been condemned since it speaks volumes about the state of healthcare facilities and the medical systems in their home countries.
Some presidents have become known for doing this on regular basis. Below is a list of some of them:
1. President Muhammadu Buhari
President Buhari with his wife, Aisha
President Buhari spent seven weeks in the UK between January and March receiving medical care for an undisclosed ailment, and returned there in May for further treatment.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, 60, has been running the country in his absence as Acting President.
READ ALSO: Leave President Buhari alone - Afenifere warns Governor Fayose
2. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos
Jose Eduardo Dos Santos
Angola President, Dos Santos, who is 74, has held power since 1979, making him Africa’s second-longest serving leader after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
He’s spent most of this month in Spain on a private visit that Foreign Minister Georges Chikoti confirmed was taken for medical reasons, before returning to Angola on Monday.
READ ALSO: Buhari's aide should advise him to go back to his farm - Fayose's aide
3. President Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe with his wife, Grace Mugabe
Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe is 93 years old and has held power since 1980. He is the world’s oldest serving ruler.
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Mugabe and his aides have said he’s as “fit as a fiddle,” but he’s visibly frail and has traveled frequently to Singapore to undergo medical treatment.
Watch this NAIJ.com video on President Muhammadu Buhari's presidency and achievements:
