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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the current influenza outbreak, as its members decide on whether to carry out planned strikes in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Concerns

This comes after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "very anxious" about the looming "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, said that while the union was not "diminishing" the impact 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.

Industrial Action Vote and Potential Timeline

The result of a union vote is expected on Monday. If it is rejected, a week-long walkout will commence on Wednesday.

Ministers argues 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. The Prime Minister has written that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Deal

In a statement, the BMA urged 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 contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Data

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 taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.

Echoing 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. Around 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 only date back to 2021 and so do not include 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 "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members agree, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute completely.