Racism in health and health care in Europe: reality or mirage?
OUP AcademicJun 01, 2007
A network of health organizations and three members of the European Parliament signed a statement last month calling for the European Commission to recognize racism as a key factor that can negatively affect health. They urged for prioritization of the issue for research funding.
The network, known as DisQo, is run under the umbrella of the European Health Alliance. It prioritized five areas to focus on, including equality data, fostering diversity in society, clarifying terms related to racism, and strengthening EU anti-discrimination laws.
European countries know they have a racism problem in their healthcare systems, but structural discrimination has yet to end due to little public debate on the issue. Racial disparities in healthcare are downstream of economic and social inequality more broadly, but nothing will change until the continent's leaders acknowledge the rampant disregard for racial minorities and its dangerous impact on physical health.
This is a class problem, not a race problem. Western left-wing politicians and activists constantly drum up conflicts based on identity politics. Nothing will change if this trend continues. The deeper roots of healthcare system issues should be addressed instead of pandering to "woke" ideologies.