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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the current influenza outbreak, while its members vote on the possibility of impending walkouts in England the coming week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Worries

This comes after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "one-two punch" of soaring counts 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 "minimizing" 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."

"As doctors, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," correspondence from the union declared.

Industrial Action Ballot and Potential Schedule

The outcome of a members' referendum is due on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a industrial action lasting five days will begin on Wednesday.

The government says its proposal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize exam fees.

Yet, the deal omits a salary increase. The Prime Minister has stated that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Deal

In a announcement, the BMA urged 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 union has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating 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 Influenza Data

Speaking to 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 reschedule the industrial action to January.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most vulnerable moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, health officials 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.

However, these records start from 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of 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 handle and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.