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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members decide on whether to carry out scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "very anxious" about the looming "combined impact" 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 severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "should not 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," correspondence from the union stated.

Industrial Action Ballot and Potential Timeline

The outcome of a BMA ballot is due on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will commence on Wednesday.

Ministers argues its proposal includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to pay for training expenses.

But, the deal omits a wage hike. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Deal

In a release, 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 BMA 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 "maintain safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Data

Speaking to 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.

Echoing the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Concerning 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 include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the increasing figures, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" 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 cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on ending the dispute completely.