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The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the present influenza outbreak, as its members vote on if they should proceed with impending walkouts in England next week.

Union Response to Government Worries

This comes after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "extremely worried" about the looming "combined impact" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "diminishing" the impact of flu, Mr. Streeting "ought not to 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 declared.

Strike Ballot and Potential Timeline

The decision of a BMA ballot is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

Ministers states its offer includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for exam fees.

However, the deal omits a salary increase. The Prime Minister has commented 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 urged the health secretary to "devote his efforts 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 written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Government Reaction 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 taken up an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most challenging 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 since records began 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 better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to cancel Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute for good.