Six in 10 UK health workers killed by Covid-19 are BAME
Excerpt from Article in the Guardian by Sarah Marsh and Niamh McIntyre
The number of healthcare workers who have died due to Covid-19 has reached 200, according to a Guardian count, and more than six in 10 of the victims were from BAME backgrounds.
Analysis looking at staff in hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes and other settings found that 122 of the dead, or 61% of the total, were from an ethnic minority background.
The Doctors’ Association UK Chair, Dr. Rinesh Parmar, says urgent action is required to protect frontline BAME staff.
Dr. Parmar told The Guardian:
“We’re deeply saddened to hear that 200 colleagues working across the NHS and social care have now lost their lives to Covid-19. Each and every single one made a tremendous contribution.”
“It is disturbing and troubling however to see that 60% come from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, indicating once again that urgent action is required to protect frontline BAME staff. We eagerly await the findings of the BAME Covid-19 review by Professor Kevin Fenton but know that steps need to be taken now to safeguard colleagues. As we step ever closer to easing lockdown measures, staff need to be risk assessed and provided with appropriate protective equipment and testing.”
Read the full article here
