Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

British Medical Association urges Javid to tackle 'structural racism' in NHS

British Medical Association urges Javid to tackle 'structural racism' in NHS

British Medical Association on Thursday (1) has urged England’s newly-appointed health secretary Sajid Javid to tackle racism within the healthcare sector, claiming that the government commission report had “ignored well-documented” evidence of structural racism in NHS and failed to give a true picture of the barriers faced by ethnic minority health workers.

Claiming that the government-appointed commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) report- which underplays the role of structural racism- is misleading, the BMA is now urging the government to begin to tackle structural racism within the health service “so that the values of fairness and equity we ascribe to patient care applies equally to those that work within the NHS”.


“We hope that Sajid Javid, the first health secretary from an ethnic minority background in Westminister, will press forward in making the changes needed to address the structural racism within the healthcare sector,” The Independent quoted BMA chair of council Dr Chaand Nagpaul.

Accusing that the commission made “sweeping statements of success” in its March report and ignored the “evidences of racism”, Nagpaul said that it is hard to understand how the CRED race report failed to see “structural racism” faced by ethnic minority doctors in the NHS while also ignoring “documentation of racism occurring at a systemic level”, which is enormous and not addressed.

“The way in which the authors chose to analyse the data and evidence submitted to the commission questions the validity of the entire report,” Nagpaul said.

As per the BMA survey evidence submitted to the commission, 16.7 per cent of ethnic minority staff compared to 6.2 per cent of white staff reported experiencing discrimination at work for a manager, team leader or other colleague. 

BMA Council member Dr Radhakrishna Shanbhag said that racism should not be accepted as “an occupational hazard for the NHS’ ethnic minority staff” as she recalled how a patient asked her if the operation could be done by a white doctor, after which the surgery was rescheduled. 

In another incident, when Dr Zeshan Qureshi, a paediatric registrar, attempted to report a colleague for referring to Nigerian nurses as being “uncivilised”, his complaint was not taken seriously even when he followed the protocol.

Meanwhile, another recent report from Royal College of Physicians also stated that black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have been hindered in their search for senior job positions within the NHS because of widespread racial discrimination.

More For You

Woman on FBI’s 'most wanted list' caught in India over child murder

Cindy Rodriguez Singh (Photo: FBI)

Woman on FBI’s 'most wanted list' caught in India over child murder

A WOMAN listed on the FBI’s '10 most wanted fugitives' has been arrested in India on charges of murdering her six-year-old son, officials have confirmed.

Cindy Rodriguez Singh, 40, was apprehended in a coordinated effort involving the FBI, Indian authorities, and Interpol. This marks the fourth arrest from the FBI’s 'top 10 most wanted' list within the past seven months, FBI director Kash Patel announced in a post on X on Wednesday (20).

Keep ReadingShow less
Agni 5 Missile

India's Agni 5 Missile is displayed during the final full dress rehearsal for the Indian Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 23, 2013. (Photo: Getty Images)

getty images

India test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-5 missile

Highlights:

  • India says it successfully tested Agni-5 missile from Odisha on August 20
  • Missile validated all operational and technical parameters
  • Agni-5 can carry a nuclear warhead to any part of China

INDIA on Wednesday (20) said it had successfully test-fired the Agni-5 intermediate-range ballistic missile from Odisha, with officials confirming it met all required standards.

The defence ministry said, “Intermediate range ballistic missile ‘Agni 5’ was successfully test-fired from the integrated test range, Chandipur in Odisha on August 20.”

Keep ReadingShow less
protest-uk-getty

Protesters calling for the closure of the The Bell Hotel, believed to be housing asylum seekers, gather outside the council offices in Epping, on August 8, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

getty images

Farage urges protests after Essex hotel ruling on asylum seekers

Highlights:

  • High Court blocks asylum seekers from being housed in Essex hotel
  • Nigel Farage calls for peaceful protests outside “migrant hotels”
  • Government considering appeal against injunction ruling
  • Debate grows over housing asylum seekers in hotels across Britain

NIGEL FARAGE has called for protests after a court ruling blocked the use of an Essex hotel to house asylum seekers.

Keep ReadingShow less
India, China to resume flights, trade ties after 2020 border clash

India's prime minister Narendra Modi shakes hand with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi during their meeting in New Delhi, India August 19, 2025. India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via REUTERS

India, China to resume flights, trade ties after 2020 border clash

INDIA and China agreed to resume direct flights and step up trade and investment flows as the neighbours rebuild ties damaged by a 2020 border clash.

The Asian giants are cautiously strengthening ties against the backdrop of US president Donald Trump's unpredictable foreign policy, staging a series of high-level bilateral visits.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mumbai train services resume

Passengers being rescued after a Monorail train came to a halt between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations due to apparent power failure during rainfall, in Mumbai, on Aug. 19, 2025. (PTI Photo)

PTI Photo

Relief for Mumbai as train services resume after rain havoc

INTERMITTENT showers continued overnight in Mumbai, but the intensity reduced on Wednesday (20) morning, offering much-needed relief after heavy rains battered the city the previous day.

Local train services on the Central Railway’s Harbour Line resumed early morning on Wednesday after a 15-hour disruption, easing the commute for thousands. Schools and colleges also reopened following a rain-enforced closure.

Keep ReadingShow less