A Rainbow Paper - Tackling inequalities, a neo-liberal order in a world after Corona

Indranil Chakravorty,Ramesh Mehta,Js Bamrah

doi:10.38192/13.3.14

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the devastating impact of inequalities that have plagued societies for generations. The timing of the events spiraling from the unlawful killing of an apparently innocent black man in the United States of America led to an uprising of sorts across many countries. It touched the psyche of the people in the UK and came at a time when the British Association of Physicians of Indian origin reaches its 25th anniversary (1996-2021). One of the fundamental visions and values that the organisation was created on, was to promote excellence through equality and diversity. Therefore in its silver jubilee year, BAPIO launches an over-arching Alliance for Equality in Healthcare Professions. The Alliance is tasked to conduct a review of the evidence of differential attainment across the spectrum of healthcare careers, engage with stakeholders from the grassroots to the responsible organisations and finally generate an expert consensus on recommendations for the changes necessary to tackle such inequalities.

Highlights

Twenty twenty, the year that may turn out to be one of the most transformative in the history of the modern world
Economist and nobel laureate Amartya Sen, believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has inadvertently exposed the cracks in the liberal values of society, and this seismic event has created the conditions among the ‘common people’ for increased awareness of the vast inequalities that have existed for centuries
He cites an example in the events unfolding and gaining momentum following the brutal killing of George Floyd in the form of the ‘BlackLivesMatter’ movement. [1] [2] The recognition of the inequalities spread to many countries including the United Kingdom, where there were widely publicised desecration of public statues of controversial individuals, led by the common public, most notably the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston, a 17th century slave trader from the Royal African Company

Summary

Introduction

The year that may turn out to be one of the most transformative in the history of the modern world. Mr Justice Mitting found in favour of the RCGP, adding that the clinical skills assessment was a ‘proportional’ way of deciding who can practise as a General Practitioner, despite differences between the pass rates of white and non-white medical graduates, the court did say that ‘the time has come’ for the RCGP to address the differentials in the pass rates He said that the claim – made by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin – was made in ‘good faith by an organisation acting in the best interests of the public’, adding that BAPIO had ‘achieved, if not a legal success, a moral success’.(10). Through a series of thematic reviews, roundtables and consensus workshops, BAPIO will engage with grassroots, experts and stakeholders collaboratively creating an ‘Alliance to tackle inequalities in healthcare professions’ This alliance will produce a seminal document as a first step in creating an organisational change laboratory process to transform medical education, training and practice supporting the fundamental principles of the NHS People Plan.

BAPIO sends letter to NHS employers regarding COVID-19

Impatient for change