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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the current influenza outbreak, as its members vote on whether to carry out planned strikes in England next week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Concerns

This follows after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "deeply concerned" about the potential "combined impact" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior 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 "ought not to 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," a letter from the union declared.

Strike Vote and Possible Schedule

The outcome of a members' referendum is expected on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will commence on Wednesday.

The government argues its proposal includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize exam fees.

But, the deal does not include 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 Attention 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 union has also written to 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 "maintain safe patient care."

Government Response and Influenza Data

In an interview with 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 accepted an offer to push the strike back to January.

Mirroring the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" 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. 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.

It is important to note, these records only date back to 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 "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on ending the dispute for good.