A story from the radio.

I was listening to a story on the radio about Dr. Kona Williams.  She is Canada’s first first nations forensic pathologist.  It was a wonderful story that started with a little girl who loved to figure things out and ended up with her being a doctor.  Within this story there is a more important and sinister story:

On the radio she talked about encountering racism from two fellow medical school applicants while waiting to be interviewed.  There is a chance those two applicants have become doctors themselves and are viewing their patients through a bigoted lens.  First nations patients already have to deal with negative assumptions being made about them when getting health care and adding a couple more bigots to the mix doesn’t help; I bet it will shorten some people’s lives.

A thought.

Yesterday I listened to a story on the radio about a first nation doctor and it made me think of another recent medical story about a Saskatchewan nurse who was fined for unprofessional conduct when she complained about medical care relatives received.

When a criminal won’t inform on their colleagues we gripe about the culture of silence.  When a medical professional is in the same situation it’s called being professional.   In both cases those who do inform are often despised as finks.

My thought is this:  Of both groups, whose actions or carelessness destroy more lives?