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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the present influenza outbreak, while its members decide on if they should proceed with impending walkouts in England the coming week.

Union Response to Ministerial Worries

This follows after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "deeply concerned" about the potential "combined impact" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "downplaying" the effect of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid 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," correspondence from the union noted.

Strike Ballot and Potential Timeline

The outcome of a union vote is due on Monday. If it is rejected, a industrial action lasting five days will start on Wednesday.

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

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

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a release, 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, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Flu Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "probably 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 "irresponsible" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts 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 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 "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could handle 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 sufficient to cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on ending the dispute entirely.