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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the present flu outbreak, as its members decide on the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

BMA Response to Government Concerns

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "extremely worried" about the potential "one-two punch" 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, said that while the union was not "diminishing" the severity 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 Potential Schedule

The decision of a union vote is due on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will begin on Wednesday.

Ministers argues its deal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize exam fees.

However, the deal does not include a wage hike. The Prime Minister has stated that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Deal

In a statement, the BMA appealed to 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 union has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Influenza Data

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "perhaps the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.

Echoing the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" 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. 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 only date back to 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the rising numbers, the medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" 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. If members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute for good.