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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls public "fearmongering" regarding the present flu outbreak, while its members consider if they should proceed with planned strikes in England the coming week.

Union Response to Government Concerns

This comes after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "extremely worried" about the potential "one-two punch" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "downplaying" 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," correspondence from the union declared.

Strike Vote and Possible Timeline

The outcome of a BMA ballot is due on Monday. Should members vote no, a industrial action lasting five days will start on Wednesday.

The government states its proposal includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to cover the costs professional development costs.

However, the deal does not include a salary increase. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Solution

In a release, 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 union has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Flu Statistics

Speaking to 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.

Mirroring the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most challenging 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 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 "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 said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to cancel Wednesday's strikes. Should members indicate yes, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute for good.