The UK is facing an “unprecedented wave of super flu,” health officials have warned, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised plans by resident doctors to stage a five-day strike next week, calling the move “reckless” and dangerous for patients, reports AFP.
“The ‘super flu’ epidemic sweeping the country means this is the NHS’s most precarious moment since the pandemic,” Starmer wrote in The Guardian on Friday, referring to the National Health Service. He said strike action just before Christmas “should not happen” and would place patients and hospitals “in grave danger.”
New NHS figures published on Thursday showed flu cases at a record level for this time of year. Hospital admissions rose by 55 percent in a single week, with an average of 2,660 patients being treated daily last week.
“With record demand already and an impending resident doctors’ strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year,” said NHS National Medical Director Meghana Pandit.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told The Times that hospital flu cases could triple before peaking, adding that the current situation in hospitals was already “inexcusable.”
The state of the NHS remains a major political issue in Britain, with Starmer’s Labour government under intense pressure to reduce treatment backlogs and waiting times. If it goes ahead, the planned walkout from Wednesday will mark the 14th strike by medics since March 2023.
Efforts to cut patient waiting lists have been repeatedly disrupted by industrial action involving both resident doctors and consultants.
Resident doctors—those below consultant level—remain in dispute with the government over pay and limited training opportunities. Streeting has agreed to union demands to prioritise UK-trained doctors for training posts and to expand the number of available placements.
“A good deal is on the table,” Starmer wrote. “My message to the doctors is simple—take it.”
However, Streeting said the government “cannot and will not move on pay,” noting that resident doctors have received a 28.9 percent pay rise over the past three years, including the highest public-sector pay award in the last two.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents resident doctors, argues that an additional 26 percent rise is needed to restore pay levels after years of below-inflation settlements. The union is currently consulting its members on the government’s latest offer through an online survey that closes on Monday.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
