This Is What Happens When Black Women Report Medical Neglectโฆ
๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .
Doctors dismissed my menopause symptoms. And when I filed a complaint to the general practitionerโs (GP) surgery, I was met withโฆ
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐.
No acknowledgement.
No investigation.
No apology.
Two months later, I followed up with the GPโs surgery.
They casually told me:
โYes, we received itโฆ but we didnโt look into it.โ
So I took it higher.
I contacted the ombudsman.
Againโnothing. Not a word. No response.
No one cared.
Not the doctors, who dismissed my pain.
Not the surgery, that ignored my complaint.
Not the ombudsman, who was meant to uphold accountability.
As a Black woman, this is the harsh reality Iโve come to know.
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ.
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐.
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐๐.
If the system thatโs meant to care for us turns a blind eye and shuts its earsโ
Where do we go?
Who do we turn to?
How do we get the help we so desperately need?
I suffered in silence for years.
And when I finally tried to speak upโI was silenced again.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ.
Weโre not making noise for attention.
Weโre not โharping onโ just for the sake of it.
Weโre raising our voices because itโs a matter of life or death.
This cannot go on.
We need to be seen.
We need to be heard.
We need care.
We need change.
We need justice.
AND for those asking for evidence and validity of Black womenโs claims of healthcare disparitiesโ
A study by the University of Oxford found that Black African and South Asian women were less likely; to be given access to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) treatment, than their White counterparts.
This was a 10-year study, with nearly 2 million women in England, that found worrying inequalities in womenโs access to HRT.
In The Guardian, Founder of Black Women In Menopause Nina Kuypers, said:
โMany Black women tell us that when they go to their GP, they feel dismissed or unheard, with their symptoms often being misinterpreted or overlooked. Instead of being recognised as part of menopause, their experiences are sometimes attributed to unrelated conditionsโฆโ
Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/21/white-women-hrt-prescriptions-study-england?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Share your menopause story in the comments โฌ๏ธ Letโs talk ๐ฃ๏ธ
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