A bigger pay hike for doctors can only be achieved by cutting NHS services, the Welsh health minister said.
Eluned Morgan said it will be incredibly difficult to improve a 5% pay offer rejected by the doctors' union this month.
The BMA said it was the worst offer in the UK but Ms Morgan said the Welsh government doesn't have the money If we were to try and find that money, it would mean deeper cuts than those already that we are looking at in terms of services that the public are offered at the moment.
She said she needed a big contribution to filling a black hole in the Welsh government's budget.
When announcing the ballot of members last week, BMA Wales chairwoman Dr Iona Collins said the Welsh government had only offered further pay erosion If we accept an offer of 5%, our acceptance is that more doctors than ever will leave NHS Wales due to uncompetitive pay.