The British Medical Association Admonishes Against Flu 'Fearmongering' Before Impending Doctor Strikes

The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls widespread "scaremongering" concerning the current flu outbreak, as its members decide on if they should proceed with scheduled industrial action in England next week.

BMA Response to Ministerial Worries

This follows after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "deeply concerned" about the looming "double whammy" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, said 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."

"In our role as physicians, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," correspondence from the union declared.

Industrial Action Ballot and Possible Timeline

The result of a members' referendum is expected on Monday. If it is rejected, a industrial action lasting five days will start on Wednesday.

The government says its proposal includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to cover the costs training expenses.

But, the deal does not include a salary increase. The Prime Minister has written that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Attention 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 written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Government Response and Flu Data

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.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" 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 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 "under control" of what the NHS could cope with 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 enough to call off Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.