The Chief Medical Director of Afe Babalola University Multi-System Hospital (AMSH), Dr. Akinola Akinmade, has asserted that former President Muhammadu Buhari might have survived had he received treatment at the institution’s state-of-the-art medical facility. Speaking confidently about the hospital’s advanced technology and highly trained personnel, Dr. Akinmade said AMSH has the capacity to sustain critical health conditions and keep patients like the late president alive and functional. Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti over the weekend, the CMD decried the persistent culture of medical tourism among Nigeria’s elite, particularly political leaders. He emphasized the urgent need for government to invest in domestic healthcare infrastructure, citing ABUAD Hospital as a prime example of what is possible locally. Describing AMSH as arguably the best-equipped hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Akinmade highlighted its cutting-edge equipment and a robust team of international medical professionals. He credited the visionary efforts of the hospital’s founder, legal luminary Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), for assembling the resources and expertise necessary to create a facility capable of delivering world-class healthcare to all Nigerians, regardless of social or economic status. “Only late last year, the hospital, under the visionary leadership of our founder, went a step further by going into a formal collaboration with Marengo Asia Hospitals, a leading medical group, based in India. “This partnership was established to deepen surgical excellence and expand the scope of specialized procedures available to patients, right here in Nigeria. Since the commencement of this collaboration, the Marengo Asia surgical team, working alongside our dedicated Nigerian clinicians, has completed nine kidney transplant procedures here at AMSH. “In addition to to transplant services, our Renal Centre is equipped with 27 modern dialysis machines, including dedicated machines for patients with infectious conditions, such as hepatitis and similar ailments. As we speak, the centre conducts minimum of over 400 dialysis treatment sessions each month, thereby making it one if the busiest and most comprehensive dialysis programmes in the country”. Dr. Akinola Akinmade noted that the hospital’s numerous medical achievements recently earned it national recognition with an award for “Redefining Standards in Hospital Management, Clinical Delivery, Patient Experience, and Innovation within Nigeria’s Healthcare System” by the National Healthcare Excellence Awards Group. He emphasized that true independence for Nigeria would only be achieved when the country can deliver quality healthcare to its citizens without depending on foreign medical services. Dr. Akinmade made these remarks in response to a recent comment by Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, who claimed the late president would have died years earlier had he received treatment in a Nigerian hospital. It will be recalled that Buhari passed away on July 13, 2025, at the age of 82, while undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness in a London clinic. He was later buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State. Reinforcing his position, the CMD stated, “A country that cannot treat its own ailments is still colonized. We must be able to care for our people here at home.” “Our hospitals have to be able to take care of our people, and we cannot always resort to running outside the country for health care. It is important for us to develop our capabilities, and these things don’t happen overnight. “In terms of that, ABUAD Hospital has been described as the best-equipped hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond that, our hospital is staffed with some of the best clinicians in the country. “One thing that is different about us is that we fight for every life. So, I can assure you that if we had been the ones attending to the former president, we would have done everything possible to keep him alive and functional”. The CMD also called on the government to urgently fix Ado-Ijan road, describing it as a critical access route that poses a threat to emergency patients, transport and hospital partners. He reaffirmed the Hospital’s commitment to delivering world-class healthcare, training future health professionals and driving innovation that meets the real needs of Nigerians.