Yesterday BIMA’s advocacy team had an extended meeting with the Rt Hon Wes Streeting at the Department of Health and Social Care to raise urgent concerns shared by our members and wider community.
Our discussion centred on:
- Islamophobia in the NHS
- Assisted dying
- Silencing of healthcare workers speaking out against the genocide in Gaza
- Vexatious complaints against colleagues who exercise a moral duty to protest against genocide
- Deliberate attacks on healthcare colleagues and infrastructure in Palestine
- Dress codes affecting career choices for Muslim women and inconsistent uniform policies on expressing solidarity
We made clear the need for firm action to tackle the impact of racism and Islamophobia on Muslim staff and patients, which continues to drive poorer health outcomes and experiences. We expressed particular concern about the hierarchy of discrimination being created in how NHS employers and education providers are responding to anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia.
BIMA has a track record of constructive collaboration with the NHS, notably during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the forthcoming reorganisation of the NHS in England focusing on community and preventative care, we underlined the importance of ensuring that Muslim voices remain fully represented in health policy decisions and in strategies to eliminate discrimination. We reaffirmed our commitment to working in partnership to try to resolve issues.
Thousands of Muslim staff proudly serve across the NHS, from frontline clinicians to senior managers. Almost one in five GPs, optometrists, and pharmacists are Muslim, despite us making up 6% of the UK’s population. Muslim civic organisations also play a vital role in tackling health inequalities, bringing innovative faith-inspired approaches to address longstanding inequities.
Our shared aim must be an NHS that works for everyone, and delivers safe, equitable, and inclusive care for all who need it.