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The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls public "scaremongering" concerning the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members decide on if they should proceed with planned strikes in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Government Worries

This comes after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "deeply concerned" about the looming "double whammy" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming resident doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "downplaying" the effect of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid scaremongering the public into thinking that the NHS will not be able to look after them."

"As doctors, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," a letter from the union declared.

Industrial Action Vote and Potential Schedule

The decision of a BMA ballot is scheduled for Monday. If it is rejected, a week-long walkout will begin on Wednesday.

The government says its offer includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs exam fees.

Yet, the deal omits a salary increase. The Prime Minister has commented that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Deal

In a statement, the BMA urged 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, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He questioned why the BMA hadn't taken up an offer to push the strike back 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, health officials note it has come early this winter. Approximately 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 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 cope with 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. Should members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute completely.