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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" about the current influenza outbreak, as its members decide on the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England next week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Concerns

This statement arrives 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 approaching junior doctor strikes.

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

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Timeline

The outcome of a BMA ballot is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a industrial action lasting five days will commence on Wednesday.

Ministers argues its offer includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize training expenses.

Yet, the deal omits a pay rise. The Prime Minister has commented that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a announcement, the BMA called on 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 BMA has also contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Reaction 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 questioned why the BMA hadn't taken up 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 vulnerable moment since the pandemic."

Regarding the flu outbreak, experts 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 since records began in 2021.

It is important to note, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "under control" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute completely.