The British Medical Association Admonishes Against Flu 'Fearmongering' Prior to Scheduled Physician Industrial Action
The British Medical Association (BMA) has sounded a caution against what it calls public "fearmongering" about the current influenza outbreak, while its members vote on whether to carry out scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.
Union Reaction to Ministerial Worries
This comes after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "very anxious" about the potential "double whammy" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.
BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "should not be 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," a letter from the union noted.
Strike Vote and Possible Schedule
The decision of a members' referendum is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a five-day strike will commence on Wednesday.
Ministers says its offer includes measures that prioritises British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize exam fees.
However, the deal does not include a salary increase. Sir Keir Starmer has commented that pay for resident doctors has grown by 28.9% over the past three years.
Calls for Focus on a Deal
In a announcement, the BMA urged 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 written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "maintain safe patient care."
Government Response and Flu Data
Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.
Mirroring 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 come early 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 start from 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.
In spite of 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 stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to call off Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on ending the dispute entirely.