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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "scaremongering" concerning the current influenza outbreak, while its members vote on if they should proceed with scheduled industrial action in England next week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "deeply concerned" about the looming "double whammy" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked 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 stated.

Strike Ballot and Potential Schedule

The outcome of a union vote is due on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a industrial action lasting five days will start on Wednesday.

The government says its offer includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize training expenses.

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

Appeals for Attention on a Solution

In a release, 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 union has also contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Influenza Data

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

Mirroring the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most vulnerable moment since the pandemic."

Regarding the flu outbreak, experts note it has come early 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 rising numbers, the medical director 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 union indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute completely.