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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls widespread "scaremongering" concerning the present influenza outbreak, as its members decide on if they should proceed with scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "one-two punch" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "minimizing" the effect 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," a letter from the union declared.

Strike Ballot and Possible Schedule

The result of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will begin on Wednesday.

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

Yet, 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.

Calls for Attention on a Deal

In a announcement, the BMA called on 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 contacted 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 "maintain safe patient care."

Government Response and Influenza Data

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "perhaps 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 come early 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 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 "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could cope with 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 cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.