The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the present flu outbreak, while its members decide on whether to carry out planned strikes in England the coming week.
This comes after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "extremely worried" about the potential "one-two punch" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming junior doctor strikes.
The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid scaremongering the public into thinking that the NHS will not be able to look after them."
"In our role as physicians, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," correspondence from the union declared.
The decision of a union vote is due on Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will begin on Wednesday.
Ministers states its deal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to cover the costs exam fees.
Yet, the deal excludes a wage hike. The Prime Minister has stated that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.
In a release, 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 union has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, saying that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "ensure safe patient care."
Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.
Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "irresponsible" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious 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 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 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 indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to call off Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.
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