South Africa’s Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari and other African leaders for seeking medical treatment abroad and neglecting their local health care systems.

Motsoaledi, who was speaking at a World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting of African health ministers held in Zimbabwe said such African leaders should be ashamed of themselves as Africa remains the only continent where its leaders travel outside their country’s shores to get 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,” Motsoaledi said hours after Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s President had declared the event open.

His remarks are coming after five African leaders, Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Patrice Talon of Benin, Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola and Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bonteflika were named as African leaders who frequently patronised foreign hospitals.