Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said that the limitations in Nigeria’s healthcare system will not allow him to patronise local hospitals.

At the third tier of the Arise News town hall series held on Sunday, 76-year-old Abubakar mentioned the limitations of the health sector and how he would address challenges bedeviling the sector if given the opportunity to lead Nigeria.

Relaying a question from a member of the audience, Adesuwa Omoruan of Arise News asked all the three participating candidates, “Would you be transparent with your health status with Nigerians? And would you use Nigerian healthcare facilities?

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In response, Abubakar said, “If I am required to produce my health status, I will do so. I have it.”

“Nigerian healthcare facilities that cater to my health may not be available.

“You know that we have limitations. We have been talking about those limitations.”

Earlier, Charles Aniagolu, the meeting anchor, asked the candidates what solutions they would proffer to the challenge of medical tourism which impacted on the country’s growth as thousands of wealthy Nigerians continued to jet out of the nation to obtain foreign medical treatments.

“Let us deal with the medical challenges at the lower level. Basically, what is required is basic health to cater to the greater population of the people,” Abubakar said.

“I think we are not investing enough as a government as far as that level is concerned.

“The second level, which is medical tourism you are talking about, which thousands of Nigerians go outside to receive. We really need to sit down with the private sector and say look, we want you to invest in the health sector. What kinds of incentives do you need?

“It requires dialogue. I believe the private sector will come up.”

Out of the four presidential candidates invited to the meeting, only three were in attendance, namely Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Though invited, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was absent.

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FIJ had reported that Bola Ahmed Tinubu declined to participate in the first tier of the presidential town hall meeting organised by Arise News in concert with the Centre for Democratic Development ahead of the 2023 presidential election.