Re: Partha Kar: Covid-19 and ethnicity—why are all our angels white?; some pure conjecture
Dear Editor
Partha Kar[1] is entitled to join the bandwagon of theorists and researchers dissecting into possible causes of disproportionate morbidity and mortality rates among BAME groups. As for vitamin D, assuming it does have a protective effect in covid-19, it is not improbable that abundance of sunshine in their native countries is helping keep optimal levels among people who live there which is relatively difficult to achieve in the western-world unless adequately supplemented orally.
I must say, it never crossed my mind that “BME staff may not be getting the same level of care and attention as other colleagues” [1]; at best, this is a highly controversial suspicion, and at worst, an insensitive point to bring up without any objective evidence of such differential treatment by NHS staff .
Whilst there is no question about systemic racial discrimination in the NHS and BAME staff would continue to experience unfair disadvantages as a result, any genuine attempt to ensure the health & safety of BAME staff including personalised risk assessments [2] should be welcomed rather than attempting to decry or express pessimism even if it’s done with good intentions to spice-up a column.
I agree with Kar that ‘unconscious bias’ is a rather cute term in the context of racial discrimination; many could be uncomfortable with such description which arguably, had been coined with the aim of minimising very conscious but masterfully concealed, discriminatory acts and omissions. Of course, in a legal context, application of such term could be the only way to establish unlawful discrimination as overt racism is now a rarity in the modern NHS. However, anyone who has taken a race discrimination claim to a court or tribunal will know, how difficult it is to prove ‘unconscious bias’ even with the best hired guns in town.
As I gradually lose interest in government’s “daily briefings”[1] and have my own concerns, I see Kar’s point about lack of fair representation and concerns thereto; I would say ‘old habits die hard’.
Rapid Response:
Re: Partha Kar: Covid-19 and ethnicity—why are all our angels white?; some pure conjecture
Dear Editor
Partha Kar[1] is entitled to join the bandwagon of theorists and researchers dissecting into possible causes of disproportionate morbidity and mortality rates among BAME groups. As for vitamin D, assuming it does have a protective effect in covid-19, it is not improbable that abundance of sunshine in their native countries is helping keep optimal levels among people who live there which is relatively difficult to achieve in the western-world unless adequately supplemented orally.
I must say, it never crossed my mind that “BME staff may not be getting the same level of care and attention as other colleagues” [1]; at best, this is a highly controversial suspicion, and at worst, an insensitive point to bring up without any objective evidence of such differential treatment by NHS staff .
Whilst there is no question about systemic racial discrimination in the NHS and BAME staff would continue to experience unfair disadvantages as a result, any genuine attempt to ensure the health & safety of BAME staff including personalised risk assessments [2] should be welcomed rather than attempting to decry or express pessimism even if it’s done with good intentions to spice-up a column.
I agree with Kar that ‘unconscious bias’ is a rather cute term in the context of racial discrimination; many could be uncomfortable with such description which arguably, had been coined with the aim of minimising very conscious but masterfully concealed, discriminatory acts and omissions. Of course, in a legal context, application of such term could be the only way to establish unlawful discrimination as overt racism is now a rarity in the modern NHS. However, anyone who has taken a race discrimination claim to a court or tribunal will know, how difficult it is to prove ‘unconscious bias’ even with the best hired guns in town.
As I gradually lose interest in government’s “daily briefings”[1] and have my own concerns, I see Kar’s point about lack of fair representation and concerns thereto; I would say ‘old habits die hard’.
References
[1] https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1804
[2] https://www.hsj.co.uk/workforce/revealed-the-nhs-plan-to-protect-bame-st...
Competing interests: Have brought race discrimination claims in tribunals