UK health minister vows to prevent renewed doctors' strikes

LONDON – Britain’s Health Minister Wes Streeting said he would do everything possible to prevent further strikes by hospital doctors, who returned to work on Monday after a five-day walkout.

“I do not want to see a single day of industrial action in the NHS in 2026, and I will be doing everything I can to make this a reality,” Streeting said in a statement. He added that talks with the British Medical Association (BMA) would resume early next year.

The BMA, which represents resident doctors who make up nearly half of the country’s medical workforce, has staged a series of walkouts amid a dispute over pay and working conditions.

The most recent strike, which began on December 17, forced hospitals to cancel thousands of appointments during one of the busiest periods for the National Health Service.

Streeting said the NHS had managed to cope with the “double whammy” of strike action and rising flu cases due to the efforts of healthcare staff. However, he warned that the most difficult weeks of winter were still ahead. -Reporting by Sam TabahritiEditing by William Schomberg/Reuters