This week, in one of my health science classes, I was required to watch a TED talk about why doctors and healthcare professionals should speak out about racial injustices. When I watched this, I immediately knew that it was something I wanted to discuss in this class. The TED talk featured the New York City health commissioner, who previously had none medical work in a country in Africa during the peak of the AIDs crisis. She explained how at the time she really felt as though she was helping, as she was teaching safe sex, while also caring for patients who needed assistance. She said she never spoke up about change on the government side of it all because she thought it was not her place since she was not a citizen, however she now really regrets this decision. She watched the black population being completely left out of the medical aid that people in the west were receiving. The populations in Africa were completely devastated by the AIDs epidemic because they were not represented equally in the health care system. She then transitioned this whole situation into America’s healthcare system and how people of color are more inclined to pass away earlier or have other complications with their health because they do not have the same health options as white people do. She says as the new health commissioner in New York, she is going to remember how she felt back in Africa and she is going to use that to advocate for social justice for those who are fighting for it. She explains that if you want to be a healthcare professional, you are there to help people and that should make you want to be a part of the movement for social change. I had not previously understood or known how people of color are affected by the healthcare system, but I completely agree with the point she made. I am looking for a career in the health field and the reason for that is because I want to help people and this includes helping people fight for social justice. I do not think you can claim you want to help people if you do not also want to fight for social justice within the systems of America.
This can relate to different topics we have talked about throughout the semester. One in particular I think this issue can relate to is Spivaks, “Can the Subaltern Speak”. Spivak speaks on how certain groups are perceived as less because they have less than others. Therefore these groups do not have the ability to stand up and take what they deserve. People of color are receiving worse health care and assistance due to a racist system. These communities are trying to gain justice and the medical field is just another part of the system that does not allow this.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/the-state-of-healthcare-in-the-united-states/racial-disparities-in-health-care/
This is a really important topic and issue—thank you for highlighting it. People experience discrimination on race, age, weight, sex, religion, gender, and so many other factors. It has a huge impact on how people are able to access care which is a big deal. It also impacts things like insurance which then also impacts providers who are within network as well as the cost of them. The more you look into the US healthcare system , the more predatory and discriminatory it appears.
Thanks for bringing up this issue! I am actually applying to medical school in a couple months, and this is something that I’ve been hearing a lot about recently. I think this problem is particularly important for many reasons: 1. When it comes to people’s health, discrimination (often based on race) can sometimes be the cause of whether or not somebody lives or dies, and that is not a subject to mess around with. 2. A lot of the discrimination seen in healthcare is due to implicit bias and not outright conscious discrimination, which means the problem is deeply ingrained and much tougher to solve. 3. It is really tough to argue with a doctor and/or a hospital/clinic. Because of their social status and the authority they hold over their subject, when a doctor says “you don’t have appendicitis”, you just have to accept that and move on. You can advocate for yourself, but because doctors are so highly sought after and their pay generally doesn’t waver whether or not you are their patient, they might get a bit cocky and not reconsider your situation, which forces you to go through the whole process of finding somebody else to ask.