Introduction
Medicine is a significant and integral part of my personal and professional life. I always strive to learn something new, be involved in all processes, and develop. I have been trying and still try to participate in all kinds of practices to gain experience, and there have been many complicated and unexpected cases in my practice. However, I believe that each of them granted me valuable experience to be applied in further practice, so I do not consider these events as negatively affecting my disposition towards medicine.
Personal Case Study
I was doing an internship in a hospital and faced a completely unexpected discovery in medical practice. At that time, we had a large queue of patients waiting for an appointment with a doctor because of the flood accident. During this incident, I conducted initial examinations and identified the priority of visiting based on the received information. However, after some time, the queue ceased to represent a specific order due to the considerable congestion of people. At that moment, I clearly defined my task, that those who are in poorer health should go to the doctor first. However, my supervisor presented a different solution which was mandatory for me to use.
Cultural Differences
The supervisor decided to start by nationality, serving dark-skinned people at the end as they will have fewer claims. He supported his reasoning by stating that if we do not accept light-skinned people promptly, they can leave complaints, be dissatisfied with the service, or cause scandals. Sim et al. (2021) provide arguments such as a lack of empathy for patients with different skin colors from the medical staff due to the cultural difference, which leads to inadequate attitudes. Therefore, the attitudes vary depending on the cultural factors.
Challenges of the Case
At that moment, being under the guidance of an experienced supervisor, I decided not to argue and followed his instructions. In some ways, he was right, and dark-skinned people showed fewer signs of dissatisfaction with the service. However, it was an absolutely unethical and incorrect decision since we returned to social inequality. At that moment, I only performed actions I did not agree with but carried out due to my inexperience and immaturity. Additionally, it was difficult for me to find concrete arguments for my position. However, I believe that no personal, national, or religious matters should influence equal attention and care for anyone. Therefore, if I could return to this scenario, I would not comply with these requirements and oppose my supervisor, claiming that it is unethical and inconsiderate to determine the need for medical assistance by personal attributes.
Social Inequality
Social inequality seems to have existed long ago, but if such decisions were repeated by different people on an ongoing basis, we would again return to full-fledged social inequality, when people are treated differently depending on their nationality, skin color, and other criteria on which people have no direct influence. Further, I began to study in detail the materials on the topic of inequality in society and in medicine.
As Yearby (2021) says, in the 21st century, in many medical institutions, as well as in scientific materials, it is confirmed that the races of people still influence how they are treated, including medical care. Williams and Ovbiagele (2020), in turn, confirmed my conjecture that such cases of unequal treatment require an integrated approach, starting with educating people about the historical and contemporary importance of equality. This research helped me form a strong personal position and argumentation regarding this issue, which I will apply in practice if I meet such a case again.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the topic of equity should be discussed during training and shared with all future healthcare professionals. If this topic is not brought up for awareness, anyone can get into the same situation without understanding the importance of their own actions or the possibility of arguing a position. Such actions should be unacceptable in the 21st century, and all people should be treated equally.
References
Sim, W., Lim, W. H., Ng, C. H., Chin, Y. H., Yaow, C. Y. L., Cheong, C. W. Z., Khoo, C. M., Dujeepa D. Samarasekera, D. D., Devi, M. K. & Chong, C. S. (2021). The perspectives of health professionals and patients on racism in healthcare: A qualitative systematic review.PloS One, 16(8), e0255936.
Williams, O., & Ovbiagele, B. (2020). Stroking out while black—the complex role of racism. JAMA neurology, 77(11), 1343-1344.
Yearby, R. (2021). Race based medicine, colorblind disease: How racism in medicine harms us all.The American Journal of Bioethics, 21(2), 19-27.