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The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls public "scaremongering" concerning the current flu outbreak, as its members consider the possibility of planned strikes in England next week.

BMA Response to Government Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "double whammy" 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, stated that while the union was not "diminishing" 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 stated.

Industrial Action Ballot and Potential Timeline

The outcome of a members' referendum is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will begin on Wednesday.

Ministers states its deal includes laws that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for exam fees.

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

Calls 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 union has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Flu Statistics

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "probably 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.

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."

Regarding the flu outbreak, health officials note it has arrived sooner than usual 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 on record in 2021.

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

In spite of the increasing figures, the senior doctor 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 BMA stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to cancel Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on ending the dispute completely.