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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "scaremongering" concerning the current flu outbreak, as its members decide on whether to carry out impending walkouts in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the looming "one-two punch" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming junior 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 "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," a letter from the union declared.

Industrial Action Vote and Potential Schedule

The decision of a members' referendum is due on Monday. If it is rejected, a five-day strike will start on Wednesday.

Ministers states its deal includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs exam fees.

However, the deal does not include a salary increase. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Solution

In a statement, 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, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Reaction and Influenza Statistics

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation 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 "irresponsible" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Regarding 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 on record 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 medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were better prepared 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 avert Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on ending the dispute for good.