NHS Dentist and Public Health Specialist Rizwana Lala has put herself forward to be the next Labour MP for Sheffield Central.
An active trade unionist with Doctors in Unite, and a campaigner against the hostile environment in the NHS, Dr Lala has previously worked in salaried services and secondary care.
“I am the daughter of Northern factory workers and the first woman in my community to go to university. I live in Sheffield Central with my young family,” her campaign website read.
With the love and support of our communities in Sheffield Central, I’m putting myself forward to be the next Labour MP for Sheffield Central🌹 pic.twitter.com/WATKxuRe3d
— Dr Rizwana Lala (@Rizwanalala) October 14, 2022
“I will bring my fighting spirit, campaigning skills, and professional background to create the changes we need in Sheffield and across the country.”
Dr Lala joined the University of Sheffield in 2013 as a Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Specialist Registrar in Dental Public Health.
She said: “At our (Sheffield) university, I worked to widen participation for women and working-class students.
“I developed anti-racist and gender-inclusive health curricula so we can build a future NHS workforce that is both compassionate and representative of the communities we serve.
A proud member of Medact Sheffield, a collective of health workers and students, she has helped set the NHS on its ambitious journey to be the world’s first net-zero health service through her Climate and Sustainability role.
She added: “I was the Clinical Health Lead for the national COVID-19 response. The disease widened the existing inequalities in our communities and I’m committed to help build a fairer, greener recovery out of the pandemic.”
In recent years, she has worked on campaigns including Justice for Simba, Vaccines for All and Health for a Green New Deal, collaborating with local allied groups, council members and MPs.
Dr Lala added: “I will bring my fighting spirit, campaigning skills, and professional background to create the changes we need in Sheffield and across the country.”
She has worked to deliver a regional carbon reduction plan, organising with 19 hospitals, thousands of health sites, community groups, businesses, trade unions and workers.
You can join her campaign at www.rizwanalala.co.uk.
To read more about the other candidates in the race for Sheffield Central, click here.
