PMB's illness. caused by anemia - Expert

Following the disclosure by President Muhammadu Buhari that he received blood transfusions while undergoing treatment in London, a specialist in Anatomic Pathology, Prof Femi Williams has said that only anemia could have been warranted that kind of treatment.

Williams told The Nation in an interview that “We now have a pretty good idea of diagnosis, which is now comprehensive or good enough to say that the diagnosis of President Buhari’s illness is anemia.

“You cannot be transfused if you don’t have anemia.”

Buhari had at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council shortly after his return to Abuja warned of the dangers of self medication.

“I couldn’t recall when last I had blood transfusion; I couldn’t recall honestly I can say in my 70 years. I couldn’t remember this drug that Nigerians take so much , very common.

“I think one of our terrible things is self drug administration. We have to trust our doctors more and trust ourselves more because over there they only take drugs when it is absolutely necessary. They don’t just swallow everything,” he said.

Williams said that the snippets of information from the President’s history and disclosure on his health status will help millions of Nigerians damaging their vital organs from unbridled ingestion of over the counter (OTC) pain relieving and other drugs.

He also called for adequate publicity on the adverse effects of self medication and described the President Buhari’s view on the issue as a huge public service to the nation.

“Assuming this is the correct scenario, the nation owes the president a debt of gratitude and if this is not correct the president has done a great service by highlighting the adverse effects and dangers of self medication that is so rampant in the nation.”