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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" about the current influenza outbreak, as its members vote on if they should proceed with impending walkouts in England the coming week.

BMA Response to Government Concerns

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "very anxious" about the potential "double whammy" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "minimizing" the effect of flu, Mr. Streeting "ought not to be scaremongering the public into thinking that the NHS will not be able to look after them."

"As doctors, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," a letter from the union noted.

Industrial Action Ballot and Possible Schedule

The outcome of a members' referendum is due on Monday. Should members vote no, a five-day strike will commence on Wednesday.

The government argues its deal includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs exam fees.

Yet, the deal excludes a salary increase. The Prime Minister has commented that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a release, the BMA urged the health secretary to "devote his efforts on offering a deal that will stop next week's strikes going ahead, rather than making claims that strike action could cause the NHS to collapse."

The union has also contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Flu Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "perhaps the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Mirroring the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most challenging moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts note it has arrived sooner than usual this winter. An average of 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the greatest for this time of year since records began in 2021.

However, these records start from 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "under control" of what the NHS could handle and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute completely.