Disparities in Healthcare: Professionals and Patients

HARSHA PATIL – Healthcare workers are the reason so many people can get quality treatment for their ailments. Especially now, with COVID-19 throwing hospitals into chaos, healthcare workers are more important than ever. They have always been on the frontlines, battling diseases that have devastated humans for ages. Why is it, then, that healthcare workers who come from different backgrounds are often discriminated against? And how can they fight back, if at all?

There are too many accounts of medical professionals of color facing discrimination by patients. One physician, Dr. Altaf Saadi at Harvard, explained that she has been questioned and attacked by patients simply because of the head scarf she wears as a Muslim. This, and many more examples,show how medical professionals today work in an inherently racist system. The racism and discrimination causes a strain between both patients and doctors.

For a long time, doctors have been told to keep their personal beliefs to themselves. This need for separation of their personal and professional lives stems from the idea that in sharing their beliefs, their bias could undermine doctor-patient trust. However, as the Black Lives Matter Movement has drawn attention to racial injustices in our society, many doctors have broken their silence, becoming public advocates.The urgency to address these issues, coupled with the need to educate the public about COVID-19 as it continues to spread, has encouraged them to push their message to the public. However, many physicians  have faced criticism for being outspoken about their beliefs. The idea of doctors becoming advocates for the public is complicated because of the implications that they are speaking for the whole of their field, which may not always be the case.

Despite the consequences that they may face for expressing their viewpoints, medical professionals need a voice, and the public needs facts. Considering that many patients of color experience racism when they attempt to get treatment, hearing medical professionals speak out against racist ideas can promote a better doctor-patient bond. . Although medical professionals have sworn to protect and serve all people equally, this oath doesn’t prevent inherent biases and systemic racism from interfering with their practice of medicine. Nonetheless, when patients hear their caregivers advocate for them, they can put more trust in the system.

Although much progress has been made in addressing such issues in recent years, there is still a long way to go in bringing both healthcare professionals and patients the equal treatment all humans deserve.

Copy Editor: Aditi Madhusudan