The Prime Minister said giving strikers the rises they were demanding would lead to money being taken away from elsewhere in the NHS.
But he insisted that the Government would continue to "engage in dialogue with the unions".
Earlier, he was accused of being "missing in action" during the dispute, with one union pointing to an "abdication of leadership".
Unite said Health Secretary Steve Barclay "does not have authority" to negotiate pay deals, as it urged Mr Sunak to call a meeting with unions.
Negotiate
Yesterday ambulance workers staged their third walkout in five weeks as nurses and doctors plan strikes in the coming weeks.
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