Category: BJGP Long Read

Bearing witness, for our colleagues in Myanmar, as so many of us do for our patients, is powerful, but it is not enough. Jim Brockbank tells the story of our colleagues in Myanmar who want us to be their advocates, hear their stories, condemn the violation of medical neutrality, provide remote clinical guidance, especially on trauma medicine and communicate with them safely.

The current pandemic has brought with it an “infodemic” of misinformation. A crisis is the time to show resilience, rely on collective wisdom, and refrain from a panic response. As a society we need to create more room for reason and access to the truth. Dr Misbah ul Hauqe and colleagues analyse the problem, and offer practical ways forward.

Julian Tudor Hart’s “Inverse Care Law” was published 50 years ago last month. Stephen Gillam reminds us of Tudor Hart’s remarkable legacy and its immediate relevance for us today.

Have some patients been receiving the wrong type of ‘aid’ when they became seriously unwell in the COVID-19 pandemic? Peter Nightingale explains the concept of “last aid” for dying patients.

Raj Khanchandani reviews “Heart of the Nation: Migration and the Making of the NHS”, an online exhibition curated by the Migration Museum.

In June 2020, the RCGP published a statement of solidarity acknowledging the enduring problem of structural racism and recognising the need for change in the form of tangible action. Julia Darko explores the problems and offers a practical way forward.

2020 has at least seen us start to tear down the weeds and thorns of racist power structures within our society and our profession. Roghieh Dehghan asks whether we have yet grasped the roots, and shows us how we might move forward to a more secure foundation for inter-racial justice.