Opportunity missed

THE majority of the reaction to the longawaited Public Health England (PHE) review on the impact of Covid-19 on ethnic minority communities has been disappointment, at best.

The review, released last week, found that death rates from coronavirus in England have been higher among people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.

However, this is not news to most people – data has been highlighting the health inequalities for months, and a number of leading doctors have continued to call on the government to act.

Many have slammed the report, saying it offered no recommendations and confirmed what people already knew – those in the poorest households and ethnic groups were disproportionately impacted.

Last week, a number of health leaders who took part in an Eastern Eye virtual roundtable referred to the review as a “whitewash”, “complete waste of time” and “an opportunity missed”.

They also warned that more medics would die because of the government’s “utter failure of leadership” in tackling the disproportionate number of Asian and black healthcare workers succumbing to the deadly Covid-19 disease.

The government cannot wait to act on this issue any longer. They must focus on addressing the deadly risk to minorities, as well on building a fairer system, where there is equality of access to healthcare, employment and housing. Ministers and health bosses must explain what they will do to tackle the factors contributing to these persistent inequalities.

The review has confirmed that BAME groups are disproportionality impacted. We must act now to protect those most at risk, so no more lives are needlessly lost.