I HAVE just returned from Zimbabwe where I met a pregnant woman with pre eclampsia who refused to go to hospital for treatment because she couldn't afford to pay. It was a stark reminder of how fortunate we are in this country to have the NHS. Yet we seem to be in imminent danger of allowing this highly regarded service to be destroyed by an intransigent Health Secretary and government who have alienated the entire medical profession.

I have worked in health care throughout my career, as have many close family members and friends. I have never known a time when health care professionals have felt so overworked, undervalued and demoralised. These are dedicated and committed people who are trying to do their best for patients and families but who feel disillusioned and betrayed. The junior doctors' strike is just one example of the failure of government to negotiate with those who are struggling to provide efficient and effective health care within an over stretched service.

I make a plea to Jeremy Hunt and the Conservative Government to listen to the doctors and to find a way of working in partnership with them rather than against them. We are so lucky to have the NHS and this adversarial approach to the new contract will alienate all health care professionals, not just the junior doctors, putting the whole service at risk. This cannot be allowed to happen.

Anne Alsop

Oakley

Bath