The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls public "scaremongering" about the ongoing flu outbreak, as its members decide on if they should proceed with planned strikes in England next week.
This statement arrives after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, stated he was "deeply concerned" about the looming "combined impact" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.
BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "minimizing" the impact of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid 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.
The result of a union vote is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.
The government argues its proposal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to cover the costs training expenses.
Yet, the deal excludes a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has written that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.
In a statement, 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 union has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "maintain safe patient care."
In an interview with 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 push the strike back to January.
Mirroring the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most challenging 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 highest for this time of year since records began in 2021.
It is important to note, these records start from 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.
Despite the rising numbers, the medical director for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could manage and that hospitals were more ready 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 call off Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.
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