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The leading doctors' union has raised an alarm against what it calls public "scaremongering" regarding the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members decide on if they should proceed with impending walkouts in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Government Concerns

This follows after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the looming "double whammy" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming junior doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "downplaying" the impact of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid 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 declared.

Strike Vote and Potential Timeline

The outcome of a members' referendum is due on Monday. If it is rejected, a week-long walkout will commence on Wednesday.

The government says its offer includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs training expenses.

Yet, the deal omits a wage hike. Sir Keir Starmer 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 announcement, the BMA called on 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 asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Response and Influenza Data

In an interview with 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 push the strike back to January.

Echoing the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "should not happen" 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. Around 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the greatest for this time of year since records began 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 rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were better prepared 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 call off Wednesday's strikes. If members agree, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute completely.