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The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls public "fearmongering" regarding the ongoing flu outbreak, as its members consider whether to carry out impending walkouts in England next week.

Union Response to Government Concerns

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "very anxious" about the potential "combined impact" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked 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 stated.

Strike Ballot and Potential Timeline

The decision of a members' referendum is scheduled for Monday. If it is rejected, a week-long walkout will commence on Wednesday.

The government argues its offer includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize exam fees.

Yet, the deal excludes a wage hike. 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 Solution

In a announcement, 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 BMA has also contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Response and Influenza Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation 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 "irresponsible" strikes "should not happen" 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. 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.

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

Despite the increasing figures, 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 union said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to cancel Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a second ballot would be held on ending the dispute entirely.