If doctors decide to take action, hospital consultants who are also BMA members in England will strike on July 20 and 21.
Routine services will be impacted by the 48-hour walkout, but emergency care will be paid for because the BMA committed to offering coverage comparable to that on Christmas Day.
Although the ballot's results are expected on June 27, the BMA insisted that it wanted to notify the NHS in advance of the strike.
The union reportedly repeatedly reduced pay, so it called a vote.
Once inflation is taken into account, the BMA reported that pay has decreased by 27% since 2008.
Consultants are not requesting full pay restoration all at once, in contrast to junior doctors, who will participate in their third walkout in their pay dispute next week.
Instead, they would like to see the government at least begin to increase salaries in line with inflation.
They received a pay increase of 4.5 percent last year, which is less than half the rate of RPI inflation for the March-through-March period.
The basic pay for consultants ranges from less than £90,000 to £120,000.
Consultants typically earn an additional £30,000 per year by working more hours and taking other benefits.
The first consultant strike since the 1970s would occur if senior doctors decided to strike.
According to Dr. Vishal Sharma, the head of the BMA consultants committee, "Strike action is not inevitable and it is well within the government's gift to present us with a reasonable offer that would stop industrial action in its tracks.
"However, if this is not forthcoming, we are committed to taking action that is both safe and effective.
We're giving our members, our colleagues, and our employers plenty of time to get ready, even before our ballot closes, because as the most senior and experienced doctors working in hospitals, nobody can fill in for consultants.
"In this manner, they are able to prioritize the patients who need care the most and manage their lists.
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