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 compiled 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.

2. 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.

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 one the world’s oldest serving rulers who have refused to hand over power.

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.

Source: https://www.naij.com/1107647-3-african-presidents-frequently-travel-treatment.html