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The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls public "scaremongering" regarding the present influenza outbreak, while its members consider if they should proceed with scheduled industrial action in England next week.

Union Response to Ministerial Worries

This follows after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "deeply concerned" about the potential "double whammy" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "downplaying" 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."

"In our role as physicians, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," correspondence from the union declared.

Strike Vote and Potential Timeline

The outcome of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. Should members vote no, a five-day strike will begin on Wednesday.

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

Yet, the deal does not include a pay rise. The Prime Minister has written that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a announcement, the BMA appealed to 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 notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Political Response and Flu Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "perhaps the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He questioned why the BMA hadn't accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Echoing 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."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts 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.

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.

Despite the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "under control" of what the NHS could handle and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute completely.