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S.A health minister slams African leaders for medical tourism

Health campaigners have regularly criticised these foreign trips arguing that they undermine the health service at home.

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This phenomenon has been passionately been condemned by South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi

Addressing participants of the World Health Organization (WHO) meeting of African health ministers in Zimbabwe, Mr Motsoaledi stated that the African continent must be the only place where its leaders travel abroad to seek medical attention.

"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" as quoted by Newsday.

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His statements came hours after President Robert Mugabe a regular patron of medical tourism opened the meeting.

Mr Motsoaledi spoke in the absence of the Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe

In terms of time spent abroad getting medical help, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, 74, is the first among equals after spending over a hundred days in London receiving treatment. Others include Benin's Patrice Talon,Eduardo dos Santos and bedridden Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Health campaigners in Africa keep arguing that these regular foreign trips undermine the health service at home.

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