FG Meets With Striking Doctors As Buhari Postpones UK Medical Trip

 The Federal Government has reached out to the National Association of Resident Doctors to forestall a looming strike by the association, 247NNU has learnt.

A meeting to iron out the contentious issues has, therefore, been scheduled for Tuesday, the President of NARD, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, told one of our correspondents on Friday.

In another development, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has shelved his medical trip to the United Kingdom as earlier scheduled for Friday.

His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, revealed this in a statement titled, ‘President Buhari postpones London trip.’

The statement read, “The medical follow-up visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United Kingdom earlier scheduled for today, Friday, June 25, 2021, has been postponed.”

“A new date will be announced in due course,” the statement added.

Adesina had initially in a statement on Thursday announced that Buhari would on Friday proceed to London for “a scheduled medical follow-up.”

The statement disclosed that the President would return to the country during the second week of July 2021, barely four months after he travelled to London for medical checkup and returned two weeks later.

Initially, when Adesina announced on Thursday that the President would travel to London for medical “follow-up” checkup, NARD also issued a fresh four-week ultimatum to the federal and state governments to address its demands, including the payment of hazard allowances.

The association listed some other terms and conditions for the federal and state governments to meet or else it would embark on strike.

However, NARD President Okhuaihesuyi on Friday told Saturday PUNCH that the Federal Government had reached out to the association and proposed a meeting date.

He said, “We have received a letter from the Federal Government and a meeting has been arranged with the Ministry of Health. That will be next Tuesday, June 29.

“We will be meeting them and I will definitely give a follow-up on the outcome of our meeting.”

NARD had on April 1 embarked on a two-week strike – a day after the President embarked on a medical trip to London for a routine medical check-up.