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The leading doctors' union has raised an alarm against what it calls public "scaremongering" about the present influenza outbreak, while its members decide on the possibility of impending walkouts in England next week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the potential "double whammy" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "downplaying" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid 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 declared.

Strike Vote and Potential Schedule

The decision of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. Should members vote no, a five-day strike will commence on Wednesday.

Ministers says its proposal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to subsidize training expenses.

But, the deal excludes a salary increase. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Solution

In a statement, 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 contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "uphold 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 accepted 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 vulnerable 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 on record in 2021.

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

Despite the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "within manageable limits" 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 call off Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute completely.