South Asian Lives Matter

In Western Australia, the South Asian community faces significant health disparities due to systemic racism within the healthcare system. Implicit racial bias has been linked to the deaths of young women and babies, primarily of South Asian origin. Despite these tragedies and subsequent internal investigations, the Western Australian health service has done little to meaningfully address the issue and implement training that specifically addresses medical racism. As a result, ethnic women and children continue to bear the brunt of this neglect and are paying for it with their lives. In response, we have collaborated with health advocates from the South Asian community to create an information sheet that helps individuals advocate for equitable medical treatment when seeking emergency care, while also documenting their treatment to create a paper trail. Unfortunately there is little accountability when healthcare providers cause patients to die from medical negligence so it is important to be an active participant in your healthcare.