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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the present influenza outbreak, as its members vote on whether to carry out impending walkouts in England next week.

BMA Response to Government Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "very anxious" about the potential "one-two punch" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked 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."

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

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Schedule

The outcome of a union vote is expected on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will commence on Wednesday.

The government says its offer includes legislation that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for professional development costs.

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

Appeals for Focus on a Deal

In a release, the BMA appealed to 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 union has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Flu Statistics

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 taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Regarding the flu outbreak, health officials note it has come early this winter. Around 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 only date back to 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the increasing figures, the medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "under control" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to call off Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on ending the dispute for good.