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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" concerning the ongoing flu outbreak, as its members consider whether to carry out planned strikes in England next week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "extremely worried" about the looming "combined impact" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching resident doctor strikes.

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

"In our role as physicians, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," correspondence from the union noted.

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Schedule

The result of a members' referendum is due on Monday. Should members vote no, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

Ministers states its offer includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for training expenses.

But, the deal omits a wage hike. The Prime Minister has stated that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Solution

In a release, the BMA appealed to the health secretary to "concentrate 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 notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "probably 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 "reckless" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, health officials note it has come early this winter. Around 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.

It is important to note, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the increasing figures, the medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to cancel Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute for good.