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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the present flu outbreak, as its members decide on whether to carry out impending walkouts in England next week.

Union Response to Ministerial Worries

This comes after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "extremely worried" about the potential "one-two punch" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming 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 "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," correspondence from the union stated.

Strike Ballot and Potential Schedule

The result of a members' referendum is due on Monday. Should members vote no, a industrial action lasting five days will start on Wednesday.

The government argues its proposal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize professional development costs.

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

Calls for Attention on a Deal

In a release, the BMA appealed to the health secretary to "devote his efforts 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 contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Response and Influenza Statistics

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 taken up an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Mirroring 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."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts 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 greatest for this time of year on record in 2021.

However, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the rising numbers, 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 said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to cancel Wednesday's strikes. Should members agree, a second ballot would be held on ending the dispute entirely.