Disparities: in the dark (2)
Gabby Giancola
Though many medical advancements have been made since the beginning of the pandemic, Covid – 19 has brought to clear focus the stark inequalities in our, alongside many other, healthcare systems. To give a single example, research has now discovered pulse oximeters – medical devices used to determine the oxygen saturation of the blood – are around three times as likely to fail to identify hypoxemia in black individuals. Medical Inequality is not limited to technology however, it spans all the way to our public health.
Through this piece I hoped to depict the urgency of this issue facing our community.
Across healthcare, those of minority origin often experience discrimination, a lack of understanding and respect for their culture and practices, even far higher rates of death. Here I depicted two individuals of colour lying on a hospital floor, being given oxygen through masks. The oxygen machine supplying this features a keyhole, and all those surrounding the pair are offering keys. These individuals are representative of those in positions of power who can contribute to the provision of unequal care – from hospital professionals all the way to our government. The metaphor I was attempting to convey was that although solutions are being offered (the keys), they are not always the correct ones to resolve the underlying issue (the lock), so minority patients are not always receiving the optimal care they deserve. We need only observe the proportion of deaths of those of colour compared to those of Caucasian origin as a result of Covid-19 to see this.
Other details contribute to symbolism in the piece – I depicted the couple surrounded by lotus flowers, which have strong spiritual significance across many religions and traditions. According to Hinduism, lotus flowers are symbolic of enlightenment and purity; through painting some in a withering state I was attempting to convey how the individuals cannot flourish and reach their potential if the environment surrounding them does not provide the support they need.
Finally, I chose to not include detail in the faces of those standing over the couple to illustrate the widespread, systemic origin of the inequalities seen in and around modern-day healthcare – there is no one issue to blame, but a combination of many.
Joint Creative Prizewinner by peer student vote
Exhibited in a Bristol UoB GP tutor conference 2023
A creative reference for ‘Talking Trials’ – a participatory research project led by Cardiff University Clinical Trials team in collaboration with Bristol Medical School 2021-23
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The first thing that was evident was the positioning of the people in the image. The people of colour lying down in such a vulnerable and almost powerless position is a poignant metaphor for the often powerless position people of colour can be in, in the face of systematic discrimination in the healthcare system. The keys that are held by the other people in the image are also really clever. It goes to show that systematic discrimination can often feel like a problem that can only be tackled by people in power, however, individuals who work as part of a collective often have the “keys” that can help make even a small difference in the quality of care of ethnic minorities. Individuals can shed light on issues (both technological but also interpersonal) and can help “unlock” better care for people of colour. I also like the little detail of the lotuses and their significance in Hinduism, especially considering how much culture and religion can play a part in access to healthcare for immigrant communities and people of colour. It adds a contract to the sanitised environment in the image created by the blue background. Overall, I would say that this is a beautiful and mindful piece that illustrates the barriers and lived experiences of many people of colour in trying to access (and work within) the healthcare system.
I really love the way this painting depicts the challenges caused by discrimination in health care and how it could easily be solved if the key figures in healthcare came together to do so. The way this is depicted in the image is quite tentative and seems to address the matter in quite a sensitive way through the patients being treated on the ground instead of on hospital beds and the health care professionals holding the key to eradicate discrimination in healthcare. The fact that the two patients are sharing one piece of medical equipment and almost seem helpless shows us the struggles that people of colour face everyday against authority figures and the double standard of care they receive as a result of discrimination. The fact that the health care professionals are also just standing around them and not acting further to help the two patients makes us feel despair and anger as we can see how easily the situation can be improved and it can also show the bystander effect – that no one is willing to take the first step and act alone to introduce change.
This piece of art work is able to explicitly convey how vulnerable people of colour are to all types of discrimination within our healthcare system. The use of the patients laying down in a foetal position displays how vulnerable they are to the decisions of other people: doctors, healthcare professionals and the government. It highlights the systemic racism people of colour undergo which contributes to their higher mortality rate. I believe it also shows how powerless a doctor can feel to work in a discriminatory system, but also calls for all healthcare professionals to identify systemic racism in healthcare e.g. equipment and ensure you are acting to eradicate potential mistakes made solely due to differences in skin colour e.g. calibrating oximeters to the correct setting for the patient. Giving different people that have different positions of powers each a key, emphasises that it is not the fault of one person but an entire system that requires change.
‘Disparities: in the dark (2)’ is a piece of art work that is well thought out and powerfully shows the faults in our healthcare system.