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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" concerning the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members consider the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

Union Response to Ministerial Concerns

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the potential "combined impact" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "diminishing" the impact 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 declared.

Industrial Action Vote and Potential Schedule

The result of a BMA ballot is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

The government argues its proposal includes laws that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for exam fees.

However, the deal excludes a wage hike. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Attention on a Deal

In a statement, 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 contacted 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 Response and Influenza Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation 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 "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most vulnerable 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 on record in 2021.

It is important to note, 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 "within manageable limits" 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 enough to call off Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a detailed vote would be held on ending the dispute completely.