WES Streeting today vowed to unlock fat jabs for millions of Brits – and warned militant doctors to stop trying to turn the NHS into a “20th century relic”.
The defiant Health Secretary stared down whinging medical unions as he vowed to press ahead with digitising the NHS and unlocking thousands of new appointments.
ReutersWes Streeting today stared down militant doctors threatening to strike if the NHS rolls out online appointment booking systems[/caption]
ReutersThe Health Secretary also vowed to unlock fat jabs for millions[/caption]
It came after the British Medical Association threatened to strike if the health service rolls out an online appointment booking system tomorrow.
Responding to the bizarre ultimatum, Mr Streeting told delegates at Labour Party conference: “Tomorrow, we are reforming general practice, so patients can request appointments online at any point of the day.
“Many GPs already offer this service, because they’ve changed with the times.
“Why shouldn’t booking a GP appointment be as easy as booking a delivery, taxi, or takeaway?
“Yet the BMA threaten to oppose it. In 2025.
“I give you this warning. If we give into the forces of conservatism, they will turn the NHS into a museum for 20th century healthcare.”
Turning to the issue of life-changing fat jabs, Mr Streeting pledged to “finally defeat obesity” by unlocking free weight loss drugs for millions.
The Health Secretary compared the advent of Wegovy and Mourjarno to a “new industrial revolution”.
He said: “The wealthy talk about how they’ve transformed their health, their confidence, their quality of life.
“But what about the millions who can’t afford them? That is a return to the days when health was determined by wealth.
“Never again”.
Mr Streeting promised to make it his “historic duty” to guarantee jabs “are available not just to some but to all”.
The Health Secretary also joked how many MPs were taking weight-loss jabs but insisted he was not among them.
A string of senior politicians, including Robert Jenrick and Boris Johnson, have admitted losing weight using the drugs.
Mr Streeting said: “Half the House of Commons tea room talk about the impact they’ve had — not in my case”.
Obesity-related illness costs the NHS almost £6 billion annually.
Those with a BMI of 35 or more, or 30 with a health condition, can be prescribed weight-loss jabs on the NHS through specialist services.
The announcement is part of Mr Streeting’s ten-year health plan.
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