The moral determinants of health in South Africa: Diversity and inclusion in medicine

Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The moral determinants of health in South Africa: Diversity and inclusion in medicine
 
Creator Kubheka-Chauke, Brenda Z.
 
Subject Bioethics, medicine, occupational health diversity; inclusion; belonging; equity; medical practitioners; discrimination; South Africa; justice
Description Background: Diversity, inclusion, equity and access (DIEA) are fundamental principles deeply intertwined with South Africa’s historical narrative. Despite strides towards equality, the medical profession remains susceptible to challenges related to DIEA like the rest of society. Issues such as racial and gender bias, alongside covert discriminatory practices, persist within medical institutions. These concerns underscore the imperative for the medical community to prioritise diversity, inclusion and equitable access to opportunities throughout training and professional practice.Aim: This review aims to assess the current status of DIEA in South Africa, identify research and practice gaps and position South Africa within the global discourse on DIEA in medicine.Setting: Worldwide literature review was conducted to set a foundation for the analysis of the SA medical profession.Methods: A review of global literature was conducted to explore themes related to diversity, inclusion, access and equity in medicine.Results: Existing literature lacks sufficient focus on DIEA in the South African context, but highlights more United States-based discourse. There are limited empirical studies exploring systemic DIEA practices and its impact on access to opportunities and how it affects the well-being of underrepresented groups in medicine. These findings underscore the critical need for inclusive practices to drive both individuals and institutions to create a safe and just culture in medicine.Conclusion: Prioritising implementation and monitoring of inclusive policies and practices within the medical profession is imperative and should aim beyond numerical representation. Progress will be achieved through collaboration with bioethicists.Contribution: Providing insights and recommendations to advance DIEA in the South African field of medicine contributes to creating a more equitable and just medical profession
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor None
Date 2024-10-24
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Review
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/jcmsa.v2i1.80
 
Source Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa; Vol 2, No 1 (2024); 5 pages 2960-110X
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/80/309 https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/80/310 https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/80/311 https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/80/312
 
Coverage South Africa 1988-2013 Gender, ethnicity
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Brenda Z. Kubheka-Chauke https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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