The shocking statistics indicating the greater impact of the virus on ethnic minority healthcare workers and the wider community is an issue that the BMA has led on since March 2020.
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Crucially, their site currently tells us: << In June 2021 we launched a research project looking to examine the barriers to progression for doctors caused by factors relating to race and ethnicity. Eminent researchers working on the project will include Doyin Atewologun, an internationally recognised expert on leadership, diversity, intersectionality and organisation culture, Roger Kline, a research fellow, who has written numerous reports on racism at work and Vijaya Nath. >>
So reading between the lines it appears that one of the reasons that doctors and nurses and healthcare staff in the NHS suffered way more deaths than white workers in the NHS, proportionally, may be that brown people are forced to do jobs way beneath the height of their abilities and stay at the bottom of the 'cornflakes box'. Look at most frontline public services (bus drivers, for example), as the BMA points out - to what extent is this a factor across society, even in the private sector, eg supermarket workers, meat packers, cleaners, shop security staff? And who suffers in a society where rank is determined by whiteness of name not extent of ability or strength of character? The children growing up and being born in such a society - what is their future, reader?
Further key data from that doc: << 21% of all staff are BAME - 63% of healthcare workers who died were BAME.
20% of nursing staff are BAME - 64% of nurses who died were BAME.
44% of medical staff are BAME - 95% of doctors who died were BAME. >>
They state: << The BMA is concerned that occupational factors, such as more staff from BAME backgrounds working in patient-facing roles, workplace culture and the supply of PPE may also contribute to the disproportionate impact on BAME healthcare workers. >>
The link: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/what-the-bma-is-doing/covid-19-bma-priorities