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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls public "fearmongering" concerning the ongoing influenza outbreak, while its members vote on if they should proceed with scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

Union Reaction to Government Worries

This follows after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "deeply concerned" about the potential "combined impact" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "should not 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," a letter from the union noted.

Industrial Action Vote and Potential Schedule

The result of a members' referendum is expected on Monday. Should members vote no, a five-day strike will commence on Wednesday.

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

But, the deal omits a wage hike. 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 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 BMA has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Response and Flu 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.

Mirroring the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most vulnerable moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, health officials note it has arrived sooner than usual this winter. An average of 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the highest for this time of year since records began in 2021.

However, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the increasing figures, 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 more ready 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 avert Wednesday's strikes. If members agree, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute for good.