Inherent Racism
In the 21st century, there is no lack of racism in america. Oftentimes, however, this racism is so deep-rooted in individuals through their upbringing that they naturally have implicit biases that lead to a negative evaluation of a person on the basis of race. Doctors - although they TAKE AN OATH TO TREAT ALL PATIENTS EQUALLY - are just as human as the next individual, and they, unfortunately, also fall prey to such biases. Most of the times, however, the mistreatment of minorities isn't the fault of the individual, or group of doctors, its the fault of an inherently racist system.
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Discrimination Statistics:
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Patient-Doctor Discrimination
Patients getting discriminated against is not the only form of racism in today's medical field: doctors and health care providers themselves also face blatant discrimination - this time, not subconsciously. Unlike the inherent racism mentioned before, patients explicitly "question, insult or even attack" non-white doctors, as Dr. Altaf Saadi recounts her own story. According to CNN, racism in medicine is "An 'open secret'". Nearly 15% of doctors experience discrimination by patients, and many who do have expressed their pain as well as confusion as to what actions to take after. Currently, there are no rules or instructions for doctors to follow if they experience a racist patient, and many are advocating for more regulations as the problem is all too common.
Although, oftentimes, when discussing this matter of racism and discrimination in the healthcare field, people generally focus on how doctors have biases towards patients; however, one cannot forget that the opposite order of action occurs, and could even be considered more severe.
Although, oftentimes, when discussing this matter of racism and discrimination in the healthcare field, people generally focus on how doctors have biases towards patients; however, one cannot forget that the opposite order of action occurs, and could even be considered more severe.