Breaking BIAS
Dr Itunu Johnson-Sogbetun discusses culturally competent practice and the need to reshape what fair, dignified care looks like for Black and Brown women at every stage life.
Across UK clinics, I see Black and Brown women repeatedly being failed by a system that was never built with them in mind. As a GP, I am determined to change that reality from my chair in the consultation room.
Race and social inequity remain powerful determinants of health. Time and again, I see poorer access to evidence-based treatments and worse long-term outcomes for Black and Brown women. This is not because of who we are, but because of how the system treats us.
The consequences are devastating. I regularly meet women whose diagnoses of conditions like endometriosis and fibroids have been delayed for years, and others who are denied adequate menopause support. Too often, pain is dismissed, symptoms are minimised, and women are told to “wait and see” without proper assessment. Black women, for instance, experience fibroids more commonly and severely, yet are offered fewer treatment options. Women of colour going through menopause are frequently not offered HRT at all.