“All men are created equal, some more equal than others!”
That was a statement I heard a couple of times, often meant as a joke. I have quoted it myself a number a times.
A new article in the JAMA revealed that in USA, black men are less likely to receive a life saving cardiac device called an ICD (Inplantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator) compared to their white counterpart; and women are less likely to receive the same compared to men.
The results are disturbing of course because it shows possible discrimination along the lines of gender and race in providing health care.
I think to do a similar study in this country would be deemed ‘inflammatory’ and ‘not conducive to the racial harmony’ claimed to be prevalent here.
However, I do have one or 2 experiences to share (don’t ask me for statistics, these are just my experiences, and therefore anecdotal).
When I was an orthopaedic HO in HKL, I was appalled to see that patients of a particular race with diabetic foot ulcers requiring surgery for debridement or even amputation were often given preference over patients of other races with the same condition when it comes to being wheeled into the operation theatre.
I remember an old lady with a gangrenous foot waiting to be amputated. She waited, day in and day out, in great pain and discomfort, for TWO WEEKS and yet she was not operated on while patients around her were being promptly treated. She actually asked me “why” and I couldn’t explain to her. Eventually she got so fed up she took a self-discharge and left. I am not sure what happened to her.
The other incident was when I was working as a surgical MO in a district hospital. There was this Chinese patient who needed an emergency operation (I forgot the indication) and he was immediately approved by the anesthesia MO and wheeled into the OT (operation theatre). I was all scrubbed up and waiting for the Consultant Surgeon to come in. The anesthetist, also a Chinese, turned to me and said this:
“He is one of us, you must do all you can to save him. We must look after our own race”!!
I was speechless and greatly saddened.
I think we, especially doctors, need to look beyond color and race to see that deep within, our patients are just fellow human beings who need our help. I get upset when my MO presents the patients to me with opening sentences like ”This is an alcoholic” or “This is an IVDU” or “This patient has AIDS”.
Sorry if I sound preachy this morning. Tomorrow I am on call and I am having pre-call depression, so I have the right to be preachy. 
Thurs, 041007 @ 0800
The Buzz