Dr Salman Waqar, the president of the British Islamic Medical Association (Bima), which represents about 7,000 healthcare staff, said health workers had been left in fear and affected personally and professionally.
Waqar said: “I’ve seen some really terrible messages, particularly coming out from Belfast and in Greater Manchester, of people having to close up their GP surgery early, of people being trapped in their practices, of people having to take taxis back and forth from work, people not going on home visits, people working remotely from home, there’s too many to mention and to count.”
He shared a video and screenshots of text messages from NHS staff, who contacted him about the abuse they had faced in the past week including being called a racial slur and an individual threatening to “kill this Muslim man”.
Waqar said: “From our perspective, in terms of our members reporting how fearful they are, reporting how they’re having to think twice about what they do, international colleagues questioning whether or not they have a future in the UK. That is unprecedented, I’ve never seen anything like this before. In terms of the volume, in terms of the strength of feeling, there is no comparison to it.”
He added: “The amount of chatter on social media, on WhatsApp groups, the amount of messages that people are sending to each other to be safe, to look out for one another, that is not normal. And that is absolutely alarming, it’s unprecedented.”
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The British Egyptian Medical Association (Bema), which represents approximately 11,000 doctors, dentists and pharmacists, echoed Waqar’s concerns. It had also observed a “troubling increase in fear of racist abuse and discrimination among our members”, which has disrupted their ability to provide care “effectively”.
Bema said: “Our members, especially those working in frontline healthcare roles, have expressed heightened concerns about their safety and wellbeing in light of these incidents. The environment has become increasingly hostile, contributing to significant stress and anxiety among medical professionals.”
It added: “The atmosphere of intimidation has led to increased absenteeism, reduced morale and a general sense of insecurity among healthcare workers. This situation is detrimental to the overall healthcare delivery system, as it affects the wellbeing of those who are critical to its operation.”
The concerns of healthcare workers were highlighted by the chief executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, who said on Monday: “We shouldn’t let dedication to duty disguise the fact that for many NHS workers, seeing this flare-up of racism will leave them feeling afraid and unwelcome.”
Source: The Guardian