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The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls public "fearmongering" regarding the ongoing flu outbreak, while its members decide on the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Concerns

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the potential "double whammy" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "diminishing" 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."

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

Strike Vote and Possible Timeline

The decision of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

Ministers argues its deal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for professional development costs.

But, the deal omits a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Attention on a Solution

In a statement, the BMA called on 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, indicating that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Flu Statistics

In an interview with 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 accepted 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 vulnerable moment since the pandemic."

Regarding the flu outbreak, health officials 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 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 increasing figures, the medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "under control" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

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