Opposition groups and others often argue that academic matric marks alone should determine whether someone gets into medical school — not factors such as race that people can’t control. But research finds that when it comes to making a good doctor, ...
working-class African American men were given coupons for free preventative medical care such as screenings for diabetes and heart health. Results showed that patients with Black doctors were more likely to return for further medical care after their first appointment than those with non-Black doctors, which could lead to a considerable drop in cardiovascular disease among African American men — a worrying health problem among this demographic in the US.
Instead, researchers think the issue was communication. From the doctors’ notes, it seems patients may have been more comfortable discussing personal and medical issues with a doctor of the same race and to trust them. This argument is supported by the conclusion ofHow much these findings apply to SA is hard to know, but local researchers
where race seemed to have a negative impact on the relationship between doctors and patients — even when there weren’t language barriers.But even being the same race is no guarantee that doctors and patients will communicate well. Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, the deputy vice-chancellor for research, postgraduate studies and innovation at Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, says simply admitting more Black African students to medical schools won’t go far enough to fix the communication issues between doctors and patients.
“If you post a [Black] person who came from a private school in Pretoria to a rural area, they have a different culture even if they’re both Africans, and they may not connect. So I really argue that it should not just be about Black Africans; it should be about
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