‘We must learn lessons from COVID-19 BAME report’

THE ROYAL College of Midwives (RCM) has said that the UK must learn lessons from a Public Health England report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities published last week.

The report follows an earlier one published in early June which was labelled as a missed opportunity by the British Medical Association and criticised for its lack of recommendations.

A week later campaigners demanded an explanation after it emerged that pages containing recommendations to protect black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities were removed from the report.

Targeted advice

Unpublished parts of the report, seen by Sky News, said that BAME groups in Britain should be given targeted health advice in the event of a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

It is thought that these pages were held back due to sensitivities around Black Lives Matter protests around the world.

The unpublished parts of the report also say that factors such as racism and social inequality may have contributed to increased health risks to BAME people.

Historic racism and experience of discrimination may mean that people are less likely to seek care or to demand better personal protective equipment, said the draft.

Inequalities in conditions such as diabetes may increase the severity of severity.

The report was published in full earlier this week.

LEARNING THE LESSONS: Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives

Inequality

Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Inequality was already embedded in our society and in our health services before the pandemic. Women from black and Asian backgrounds were more likely to die in pregnancy and after having a baby, and more than half of pregnant women recently admitted to hospital with COVID-19 were black or Asian.

“The pandemic has brought the terrible issues of racism and inequality out of the shadows and into the full glare of daylight. It hits and hurts those from BAME communities using our NHS and the many NHS staff from those communities who care for them. We must learn the lessons and we must act on this report.”