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The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls public "scaremongering" concerning the current flu outbreak, while its members vote on whether to carry out impending walkouts in England next week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Worries

This follows after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "combined impact" 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, said 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."

"As doctors, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," correspondence from the union noted.

Strike Ballot and Potential Timeline

The decision of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. Should members vote no, a industrial action lasting five days will start on Wednesday.

The government argues its offer includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to pay for exam fees.

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

Calls for Focus on a Deal

In a announcement, the BMA urged 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 BMA has also contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.

Echoing 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, 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 since records began 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.

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 union 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 resolving the dispute entirely.