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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" concerning the current influenza outbreak, as its members vote on if they should proceed with planned strikes in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the potential "one-two punch" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "minimizing" 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," a letter from the union noted.

Strike Ballot and Potential Schedule

The result of a union vote is expected on Monday. Should members vote no, a industrial action lasting five days will commence on Wednesday.

The government argues its offer includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for exam fees.

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

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a release, the BMA called on 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 written to 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 Response and Influenza Statistics

Speaking to 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 reschedule the industrial action to January.

Mirroring 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."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts note it has come early this winter. An average of 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.

It is important to note, 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 handle and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to call off Wednesday's strikes. Should members agree, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute for good.