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The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members vote on the possibility of impending walkouts in England the coming week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This comes after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "deeply concerned" about the looming "double whammy" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "diminishing" the impact 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," correspondence from the union declared.

Industrial Action Ballot and Possible Timeline

The result of a union vote is expected on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will start on Wednesday.

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

Yet, the deal does not include a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Solution

In a announcement, the BMA called on the health secretary to "focus his time and attention 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 BMA has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Influenza Data

Speaking to 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 taken up an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Echoing the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts note it has come early this winter. Approximately 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the highest for this time of year on record in 2021.

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

Despite the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members agree, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.