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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "scaremongering" concerning the present influenza outbreak, while its members vote on whether to carry out scheduled industrial action in England next week.

Union Reaction to Government Worries

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

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "downplaying" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "ought not to 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," correspondence from the union noted.

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Schedule

The result of a union vote is expected on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will commence on Wednesday.

The government says its proposal includes legislation that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to pay for professional development costs.

Yet, the deal excludes a wage hike. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a statement, 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 contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be 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 "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 "reckless" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most vulnerable moment since the pandemic."

Regarding the flu outbreak, experts note it has come early 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 since records began 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 increasing figures, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could handle and that hospitals were more ready 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. If members agree, a detailed vote would be held on ending the dispute completely.