The union says ministers must respond within 48 hours of next week's walkout to avoid more action.
Urging the unions to call off the strike, Mr Dowden told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: "We will be resolute to this, because it would be irresponsible to allow public sector pay and inflation to get out of control and we owe a wider duty to the public to make sure we keep our public finances under control."
"We're trying to be reasonable, we're trying to be proportionate and we're trying to be fair," he said. It involved around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all trusts in Northern Ireland and all but one health board in Wales. Nurses are not striking in Scotland. During action so far the RCN has said it will still staff chemotherapy, emergency cancer services, dialysis, critical care units, neonatal and paediatric intensive care.The action by nurses will be followed on 21 December by a strike by ambulance staff, who will also take industrial action on 28 December.All three are taking action on 21 December. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.However, unions warn military staff are not "sufficiently trained" .
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