Nigerians may have to wait for a while to ascertain the condition of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, following security censoring of some of the key aides who followed her to Germany for medical treatment.
It was learnt last night that the aides have been barred from telephone contacts with Nigeria.
But a source in government last night confirmed that the First Lady was a victim of food poisoning in Dubai .
The source said the fact-sheet indicated that she did not undergo any surgery in Germany, as reported by a section of the media.
The source said: "No one can actually talk on the state of health of the First Lady because those who followed her to Germany have been censored by security agencies.
"None of them has been allowed to establish telephone contacts with Nigeria to avoid a misrepresentation of the state of health of Her Excellency.
"Only the First Family has up to date information on how she is faring. That is why it has been difficult to issue a statement by the Presidency.
"Everyone is in the dark in the Presidential Villa on how far the First Lady has gone with her treatment and when she would return.
"The media outage is understandable in view of the kind of media attention the sickness has attracted as if the First Lady is not human."
More facts emerged yesterday on how the First Lady contacted food poisoning in Dubai late last month.
A Presidency source told our correspondent that after efforts to stabilise her worsening health condition proved abortive by the Presidency's health team, the office of the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, was contacted on Friday, August 24 to arrange for a flight to Italy where she was expected to be treated at a specialist hospital.
Mrs. Jonathan would have been flown earlier on Saturday, but getting a permit to fly European skies was said to have frustrated the move, until about midnight when a positive response was obtained from the German authorities.
Following the approval, a presidential jet left Abuja on Saturday for Frankfurt, carrying the First Lady and a few trusted aides.
The First Lady was taken to Wisbaden where she is being treated for food poisoning.
The source said: "I am aware that she contacted food poisoning in Dubai. We really can't say exactly what she ate in Dubai, which resulted in the ailment. But as soon as it was becoming difficult to get her stabilised here, we were advised to fly her to Bologna, Italy where a particular hospital is said to be good in handling such matters.
"Because it was an emergency case and there was no assurance that a permit would be granted for the team to fly European skies that night, we were still thinking of an alternative until word came in from the German authorities that we could fly in the next day. Calls were made to those asked to be on the alert for a journey to Italy as they would now be flying to Germany. The team left for Frankfurt the next day, Saturday, August 25 and Madam was then taken to Wisbaden where she is currently undergoing treatment."
Asked why there was no official statement on the matter, another source said:"I really can't say but there is no truth in the rumour that she underwent any operation. Before she left, the medical team was sure it was food poisoning which came out of what she probably ate in Dubai. I am not in the media team of the First Lady and, therefore, would not know why a statement was not issued.
"All I know is that the First Lady is recuperating and even shook hands with some of the aides that followed her to Germany before she was admitted. She was never flown out in an air ambulance but in an official presidential jet."
Since the news of her ill health was published by an online news agency, the Presidency has kept mum, insisting that she had simply travelled out for some "moments' rest" following her doctor's advice.
A pro-development civil society group-the Human Rights Writers' Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has frowned at the practice whereby government officials continue to seek foreign medical treatments thereby neglecting local health care infrastructure.
In a statement jointly authorised by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National media officer, Miss Zainab Yusuf, the Rights group urged President Goodluck Jonathan to end this retrogressive medical tourism by the top political elite from Nigeria but to build World class health facilities in the six geo-political zones to save Nigeria from capital flight. The group also challenged governors to rehabilitate the collapsing primary healthcare facilities.
The association, which stressed that it sincerely wishes Mrs. Jonathan a very speedy recovery, however, lamented that successive administrations continued to pay lip service to health care delivery.
HURIWA said: "We read with shock the media report that the wife of the President Mrs. Jonathan was flown to Germany... the first thing that comes to our mind immediately is to ask probing questing on the actual state of those first class medical facilities reportedly bought and installed at the Presidential Villa during the days of the late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua's administration? What has happened to the several billions of tax payers' fund injected into the running of the presidential mansion in Abuja including the presidential health facilities? It is wrong for Nigerian political elite to tacitly destroy our local health facilities just so that they can enjoy foreign medical services at highly exorbitant cost to the poor tax payers who do not have the privilege and benefit of enjoying any workable primary health care all across the rural areas of Nigeria."
No comments:
Post a Comment