Monday, June 10, 2013

When In Denial, Blame The System!

A new study blames doctors' aloofness...for scaring male maori away from the health system!
In AlterNative, the indigenous peoples' quarterly journal (June 2013), professional distance - when it stops maori returning to healthcare centres even if they need help - is institutional racism!
A man goes to the doctor.
Why make it a race issue?

Researchers interviewed 47 maori men from Waikato (with a chronic condition or cancer) and 15 family members, about their healthcare experiences. Many of those reported responses to their illness shaped by dysfunctional relationships with their healthcare providers.
Some patients, even if they knew their family had a history of cancer, diabetes or heart-related conditions, felt there was little/nothing they could do to prevent the disease. Other patients preferred to 'wait and see' before asking for support. [Hmmm, thats more like STUPIDITY, not a 'dysfunctional relationship': "My dad and his dad died of diabetes. Let's see if I die too, before I seek help."]
Me? An agenda?
Researcher Erena Kara says most of the men were dismayed by doctors lacking cultural awareness and understanding. [Did these men go for a cultural experience... or medical attention?]
To clarify: 53 maori were interviewed - hardly representative, more like careful selection to make a result fit the hypothesis! From these, Kara found institutional racism oozing from the health system [ = nasty whitey's health system] to repress the underdog [ = poor downtrodden maori]. She wants mainstream health professionals to get cultural awareness training [Aren't  they overloaded enough..?].
Quite frankly, this sounds a crock of shit! Everyone is quite capable of going to the doc if they need attention. This has NOTHING to do with race...though it fits Kara's agenda to beat that drum.
If you're sick, seek help. If you're lazy, leave it til too late, then blame 'institutional racism' for making you too scared to see a doctor!
Institutional racism describes any kind of system of inequality based on race. If maori were to get preferential treatment by the NZ health system, that would be institutional racism - 'inequality based on race'. No-one can have it both ways.
The health system is there for all, regardless of race. Don't blame any precious ethnic timidity if you can't/don't/won't use it.

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