Essay Sample on Racial Discrimination in Medical Field: An Unacceptable Breach of Hippocratic Oath

Introduction

A lot of patients and health workers have received racial discrimination in the medical field. Before one becomes a doctor, they undertake Hippocratic Oath to equally serve all patients. However, a significant percentage of patients rarely receive equal treatment. There is a lot of negative assumptions against some patients because they come from a particular ethnic group. Not all people in the medical field are racist, and most of them are committed to providing regular medical care. It is therefore essential that we look at a case of discrimination in the medical field to understand why the matter is of discrimination.

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There has been a recent case in the medical field where a patient went to receive treatment in the hospital. She went to the emergency room as she was experiencing some pain. To her surprise, the emergency room staff failed to treat her illness. They also treated her as if she was lying or playing them as if she was trying to take pain meds from them for other uses. They did not attempt any diagnosis or offer clinical assistance or help whatsoever. Instead, they avoided her while busy looking for ways to get rid of her soonest possible. In her previous medication, there was nothing to show that she had previously suffered from back pain. She had also not been involved in any drug abuse in her life. The lady was convinced that the emergency room staff mistreated her simply because she was black.

The case qualifies as a discrimination case. It is a known fact that majority of people drawn from minority groups and black community in the United States experience significant levels of illness, adverse outcomes and early deaths compared to the whites (Penner et al., 2010). The American government first noted the deaths in the 1980s. The government has tried to come up with ways to stop the discriminations. However, recent reports have shown that there are still noticeable differences brought by ethnicity and racism in the medical field.

There are several reasons as to why racial discrimination is so rampant in the medical field. One of the reasons is the negative assumptions done by medical practitioners. It is good to note that not all physicians discriminate patients based on their racial differences. Most of them are committed to providing equal treatment to all patients. However, they face a challenge in their line of work as they operate in a system that is inherently racist. Additionally, prejudice in people, alternatively referred to as implicit bias, have a direct effect on how doctors treat their patients. Racial discrimination is deeply ingrained in the medical field. It results in many minority groups not getting the medical care they should be provided for. It has led to popularized events with the black lives matter movement gaining foot in the fight for equal treatment of all blacks not only in the medical field but also in other matters such as education, affordable housing, livable wages, and healthy food.

It is not only patients that experience racial discrimination in the medical field. Doctors also suffer the same from some patients. There was a case of racial discrimination to a doctor who was Muslim. She has received insults, questioned about how well she can treat her patients and attacked by patients for being a Muslim who wears a headscarf. Recent publications have also indicated that many doctors who are Indian, Jewish or black have been abused by patients (Whitgob, Blankenburg & Bogetz, 2016). Some patients have also refused to be treated by them accusing them of being reckless or less qualified to manage them. It has led to the need to train doctors on how to handle such patients, which is not suitable for the medical field.

It is important to note that doctors are faced with a lot of need to make a judgement in the medical field. The assessments determine the kind of treatment a patient will get. If the doctor discriminates a patient based on their race, the patient may likely end up being given the wrong medication or even receive poor quality treatment. It may be life-threatening to the patient, which is why discrimination in the medical field is a trait that should stop. The judgements made by doctors about personality, worthiness and character are all determined by the doctor-patient relationship.

Conclusion

In order to provide quality health care to all patients, there is a need to address this situation as it can be harmful, especially to the minority groups. The first step in curbing discrimination in the medical field resulting from racism is to identify, recognize, understand and name these actions and attitudes. Patients and doctors need to understand and control their implicit biases. Medical institutions also need to instill discrimination regulations in their institutions to ensure that all patients receive treatment as required. The society should also learn that the struggles of one marginalized group are a struggle to the whole community. Doctors should fight to serve patients without fear of discrimination or racial abuse. There is a need to ensure that all patients are treated with respect and dignity regardless of their race. The fight against discrimination and racism is for everyone, patients and medical practitioners.

References

Penner, L. A., Dovidio, J. F., West, T. V., Gaertner, S. L., Albrecht, T. L., Dailey, R. K., & Markova, T. (2010). Aversive racism and medical interactions with Black patients: A field study. Journal of experimental social psychology, 46(2), 436-440.

Whitgob, E. E., Blankenburg, R. L., & Bogetz, A. L. (2016). The discriminatory patient and family: strategies to address discrimination towards trainees. Academic Medicine, 91(11), S64-S69.