Medical Science vs 'Social Justice'?

"[The 2025 framework for training future physicians] affords us the opportunity to think critically and propose a vision for the practice of medicine which is rooted in social justice, anti-racism, anti-oppression and cultural safety, promoting a broader cultural shift which is necessary for the profession."

"A new model of CanMEDS would seek to centre values such as anti-oppression, anti-racism and social justice, rather than medical expertise."

"[The new system envisioned] would prioritize bidirectional relationships with patients, providers, communities, the land, the health system and society at large rather than the individual physician as a gatekeeper of professionalized knowledge. With this new model, we can reflect a stance of humility over hubris."

Anti-racism working group

"In daily practice, [DEI] is barely given a nod. We are overwhelmed by the volume of patients that need care on a daily basis."

"Our work has bled into our evenings and weekends leaving very little time to think about what seems to be both a political and academic exercise. You can imagine the chaos that would ensue if patients were queued based on perceived oppression as opposed to the acuity of their medical condition."

"The vast majority of physicians have entered the field in order to care for others. There is an abundance of empathy and kindness among my colleagues."

"[DEI] has tried to piggyback on these noble traits and impose a social justice agenda that is driven by only a handful of activist physicians." 

Dr. David Jacobs, president, Ontario Association of Radiologists

AAMC.org

 

It was only a matter of time, after all. The overwhelming social agenda of diversity-equality-inclusion activists determined to change societal norms and to have everyone everywhere condemn 'colonialist'  and 'imperialist' racism in all its guises, where those judged white have been privileged and entitled for far too long, and it's now the turn of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour to be advantaged over white entitlement, has entered government at all levels, schools and universities, the professional bodies, unions and every other facet of society.

Now, it seems, it's the turn of the medical profession. A profession overwhelmed by the demands of its services on a growing public that cannot find primary care physicians, reflective of the shortages of medical professionals. Who themselves are beyond fatigue working long hours, trying to compensate for the dearth of family doctors, coping with infuriating government paperwork; underpaid and feeling under-appreciated. Now, a final assault on their consciousness, to imbibe the social justice message to incorporate it thoroughly in all their experiences with the public.

Under the auspices of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a working group is opting to push for the training of future doctors to concentrate on social justice and anti-racism; medical expertise, evidently, is optional. Move over, Enlightenment ideals of science and reason; Marxist ideology is preparing to take over...

AAMC.org

 

CanMEDs is implemented by a consortium including the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Medical Association, the Medical Council of Canada and the Quebec College of Physicians, as well as others. According to the anti-racism working group that reports to CanMED, the medical profession is described in their report as committing "structural violence" against the marginalized. Leading to its authors proposing a social justice solution to be implemented within the health system.

In one section of the report entitled "Decentering medical expertise", a shift away from medical expertise is called for, toward values such as anti-racism, anti-oppression, shared humanity and decolonization. What could go wrong? This "humility over hubris" concept represents the virtue of the caring and compassionate working group, deploring their haughty, pride-filled colleagues. Another section in the report calls for recognition that historical power structures such as "white supremacy, hetero-patriarchy and capitalism" inform the present, and something desperately must be done to change it.

AAMC.org

 

In Dr. Jacobs' opinion the cult of diversity, equality and inclusion strives to alter medicine from a discipline caring for patients to one championing social justice -- to the extreme detriment of the former, and therefore to society at large. Aside from which, the entire concept is the product of disturbed minds. ("This is bonkers") The goal of medicine is to train doctors in medical competency. In the world of DEI, doctors are to be "tested for 'purity of thought'."

"Equity is about recognizing and accommodating people’s differences to ensure that every individual has what they need to thrive. In the background to its policy on equity and diversity in medicine Opens in a new window, the CMA says equity is achieved when 'every person has the opportunity, with their own identity, culture, and characteristics, to create and sustain a career as, or receive care from, a medical professional without discrimination or any other cultural or characteristic-related negative bias or barrier'."

Canadian Medical Association Website

Hitting all the right notes in intersectionality; female and Black...Canadian Medical Association website

"Beyond the obvious worrisome impact on patients, there is also an impact on physicians' freedom of expression and thought."

"[DEI] is governed and policed by a small unelected and unaccountable group that is using the authority of universities and medical governing bodies to establish what is acceptable and what is unacceptable thought."

"[Medicine should return to embracing respect and partnership with patients, and] strongly reject those who would try to weave their political and social agenda into the doctor-patient relationship."

Dr. David Jacobs

Publicly state and reaffirm its support for diversity in medical education and acknowledge the incorporation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as a vital aspect of medical training.

Directly oppose any local, state or federal actions that aim to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, curriculum requirements or funding in medical education.

Advocate for resources to establish and maintain DEI offices at medical schools that are staff managed and student- and physician-guided as well as committed to longitudinal community engagement.

Investigate the impacts of state legislation regarding DEI-related efforts on the education and careers of students, trainees and faculty.

American Medical Association

How Goes America The Bad And The Yearned-For?

"After George Floyd's murder a year ago, Atlanta’s mayor scolded the rioters who were smashing up parts of her city. “This is not a protest…This is chaos,” Keisha Lance Bottoms said. “If you care about this city, then go home.” The speech was so well pitched that some overexcited pundits wondered whether she might one day run for president. One year on, Ms Lance Bottoms has declined even to run for re-election as mayor, in part because Atlanta is suffering from a violent-crime wave which she has been unable to calm. One affluent neighbourhood is keen to secede from the city altogether."

"What is true in Atlanta is also true in other American cities. Property crimes are down, but violent crime has risen. Murders increased by about 30% between 2019 and 2020, a rise that shows little sign of slowing. This change puts at risk what has been perhaps the most benign social trend in America so far this century: the great crime decline. It also threatens liberal reforms."

The Economist

 

Major urban centres in the United States, most of them under Democratic governments are recording murder rates at unprecedented numbers. And there are fears that the rates may continue to mount and accelerate over the summer months in lock-step with the receding of pandemic restrictions. New York City saw its murder rate rise 45 percent last year -- a rate that has since steadily increased. The murder rate in Atlanta went skyward by 60 percent in 2021.

 

In the country, 275 mass shootings have taken place thus far in 2021 representing a 40 percent rise over a like period the year before. Ten of those mass shootings have taken place in Chicago alone. And many cities have fresh memories of violent social clashes, torchings and looting that took place last summer, causing billions in damages to retail establishments and government facilities. Police forces all over the country are in wary contemplation of a renewal of that social dysfunction in violent public disorder.

 

"Defund the police" demands echoed everywhere in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Violent street protests took place across the country, incited by the movement for Black Lives Matter, unleashing civil disobedience events and criminally violent physical attacks to round out the shrill accusations of systemic, ongoing racism. Black Lives Matter was on a roll, publicly supported by Congressional Democrats lending it heft and legitimacy.

 

In many urban centres black mayors and black police chiefs presided over the violence in a triple-bind of duty, past injustices and the 'woke' public mood. In some urban centres police see the benefits of early retirement, while others pursue the 'do less policing' potential inherent in countering public distrust and disdain alongside threats of public violence aimed directly at police. 

The stridently vocal left wing of the Democratic party exerts its influence on the governing Democratic White House openly advocating police defunding in response to their views of police as "systematically racist". This, while the violence and negative acting-out issues impact largely on the poorer black communities who voted for the Democratic nominee for president. Gun ownership has been targeted by the Biden administration as a solution to the murderous violence roiling America's streets.

 

After demonstrations like this there was a deliberate drawback of policing.  CNN

 

Inconvenient truths such as Chicago having the most stringent gun control laws and regulations in the country, yet it is the epicentre of the bloody crime wave, is largely ignored. And then there is the Democratic journey to reverse all the initiatives taken by the predecessor Republican government under Donald Trump, and two issues; 'the wall', and the surging influx of migrants and refugee claimants at the Mexican border are front and centre.

Illegal migrants game the American asylum process, and in addressing the issue of burgeoning illegals melting into the general U.S. population, Trump as president shut everything down. And then President Biden turned it back on, suspending the "Remain in Mexico" policy of the Trump administration that sought to prevent asylum claims without merit. With the wall construction stopped, would-be refugee claimants considered those changes represented a hearty welcome to their prospects.

Enthusiastic new contingents of would-be refugees from Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Cuba and even Europe and Nigeria have swelled the ranks of the migrant-minded. Now, being swamped with migrants has resulted in mass apprehensions; 173,358 in March; 178,622 in April; and 180,034 in May. Closing in on a million since January; historically unprecedented numbers beyond which are those who successfully escaped apprehension.

Single males, unaccompanied children escorted to the border by "coyotes" are fulfilling the "open border" approach the Democrats have espoused. Although some of their humanitarian impulses are aimed directly at convincing segments of the population that a vote for Democrats is an assurance of a kinder, freer America, the message doesn't always resonate; Large numbers of Hispanic residents in Texas border cities tend to support "law and order" mayoralty candidates of the Republican breed.

 

Chicago police officers investigate an officer-involved shooting outside its 25th district station  

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via Getty Images

"The increase in homicides is large and widespread enough to raise serious alarms for criminologists and other experts. So what’s going on?"

"Some experts have cited the protests over the police killings of George Floyd and others — which could’ve had a range of effects, from officers pulling back from their duties to greater community distrust in police, leading to more unchecked violence. Others point to the bad economy."

"Another potential factor is a huge increase in gun purchases this year. Still others posit boredom and social displacement as a result of physical distancing leading people to cause more trouble."

Vox