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The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the ongoing flu outbreak, while its members consider the possibility of impending walkouts in England next week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the looming "one-two punch" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming resident doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "diminishing" the severity 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," correspondence from the union declared.

Strike Ballot and Potential Timeline

The outcome of a union vote is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

Ministers states its offer includes legislation that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to subsidize professional development costs.

But, the deal does not include a wage hike. The Prime Minister has stated that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Solution

In a statement, the BMA appealed to 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 BMA has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Government Response and Influenza Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances 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 "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. 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 only date back to 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the increasing figures, the medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to call off Wednesday's strikes. Should members agree, a second ballot would be held on ending the dispute for good.