UK: Sunak calls for 'radical' action to address health system crisis

Under pressure to resolve the acute health system crisis, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaka called for a "

" approach on Saturday during an emergency meeting with experts and industry officials.

The public health system, the National Health Service (NHS), already strained after years of underfunding, faces a particularly difficult winter, with hospital emergency departments in particular overwhelmed by the twin flu epidemics and of Covid-19.

Read alsoStrikes: the British government invites the unions to discuss Monday

Waiting lists are getting longer for patients who need to undergo operations, in a tense social context, with a social movement of nurses - the first in more than 100 years - and paramedics, against a background of the crisis of the cost of life.

The situation is such that the government, accused of inaction, organized this emergency meeting on Saturday to try to find solutions to the crisis.

In front of health experts and sector officials received in Downing Street, Rishi Sunak, who made health one of his five priorities for the coming year, considered that a "

,” according to comments reported by the PA agency.

“

,” he added.

“

,” he added.

In an attempt to end the strikes affecting health but also other sectors, the government also invited the unions for discussions on Monday.

The nurses are demanding in particular a strong increase in wages to deal with inflation that exceeds 10%.

Ahead of these discussions, the general secretary of the main trade union in the sector, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Pat Cullen, estimated that "

", who must "

" to further increase salaries in the current year.