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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" about the current influenza outbreak, as its members decide on the possibility of impending walkouts in England next week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "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, stated that while the union was not "downplaying" 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," a letter from the union declared.

Industrial Action Vote and Potential Schedule

The outcome of a members' referendum is expected on Monday. If it is rejected, a industrial action lasting five days will commence on Wednesday.

The government states its deal includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to pay for training expenses.

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

Calls for Attention on a Deal

In a statement, the BMA appealed to 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 written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure 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 questioned why the BMA hadn't accepted an offer to push the strike back to January.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most challenging moment since the pandemic."

Regarding the flu outbreak, health officials note it has arrived sooner than usual this winter. Approximately 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the highest for this time of year since records began 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 senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

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