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The leading doctors' union has raised an alarm against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the ongoing flu outbreak, as its members decide on whether to carry out impending walkouts in England next week.

BMA Reaction to Government Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "deeply concerned" about the potential "combined impact" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" 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," a letter from the union stated.

Strike Ballot and Possible Schedule

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

Ministers argues its deal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to subsidize exam fees.

But, the deal omits a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Deal

In a statement, the BMA called on 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, saying 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 Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't taken up 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."

Concerning the flu outbreak, health officials note it has come early this winter. Around 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.

However, these records start from 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the rising numbers, 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 better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on ending the dispute completely.