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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the current influenza outbreak, while its members consider the possibility of planned strikes in England next week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Worries

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

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "diminishing" 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."

"In our role as physicians, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," a letter from the union declared.

Industrial Action Ballot and Potential Timeline

The result of a union vote is expected on Monday. Should members vote no, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

The government says its offer includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to pay for professional development costs.

However, the deal omits a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Deal

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

Government Reaction and Flu Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He questioned why the BMA hadn't accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action 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 precarious moment since the pandemic."

Regarding 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 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 increasing figures, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to call off Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a second ballot would be held on ending the dispute completely.