Bedi R, MacEwen M
Department of Preventive Dentistry, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Postgrad Med J. 1990 Dec;66(782):1043-6. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.66.782.1043.
The present anti-racial discrimination legislation in the United Kingdom is embodied in the 1976 Race Relations Act. In essence this Act attempts to avoid any form of direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of racial or ethnic origin. However, health professionals are acutely aware that there are important racial differences in disease, some of which are, in fact, not racial but merely associated with social deprivation, poor housing and, of course, the incapacity to speak English. These new findings present the medical profession, in the climate of scarce resources, with the challenge of meeting these needs without discriminating in favour of, or against, individuals on the basis of their race. This is because there are few provision in the 1976 Act to allow for such discrimination, even when it is for an ethnic group's advantage. The dilemmas this raises for health professionals who are involved in planning services for ethnic minorities are discussed.
英国现行的反种族歧视立法体现在1976年的《种族关系法》中。本质上，该法案试图避免基于种族或族裔出身的任何形式的直接或间接歧视。然而，医疗专业人员敏锐地意识到，疾病存在重要的种族差异，其中一些实际上并非种族差异，而仅仅与社会剥夺、住房条件差以及当然还有不会说英语的能力有关。这些新发现使医疗行业在资源稀缺的情况下面临挑战，即在不基于个人种族进行偏袒或歧视的情况下满足这些需求。这是因为1976年的法案中几乎没有条款允许这种歧视，即使是为了某个族群的利益。文中讨论了这给参与为少数族裔规划服务的医疗专业人员带来的困境。
