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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" about the current influenza outbreak, while its members consider the possibility of planned strikes in England the coming week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "double whammy" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming junior doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" 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," a letter from the union noted.

Industrial Action Ballot and Potential Timeline

The result of a union vote is due on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will start on Wednesday.

The government states its proposal includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for training expenses.

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

Appeals for Focus on a Solution

In a announcement, 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 BMA has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Data

Speaking to 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 reschedule the industrial action 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, 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 since records began in 2021.

It is important to note, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the increasing figures, 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 union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members agree, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.