Since the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic worldwide, for reasons that are still being researched, the number of deaths of British Sikhs, Muslims, Blacks and other ethnic minorities have been disproportionately high. This has prompted a report by British authority -Public Health England. British Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi focusses on the recently-released report and seeks wide-ranging changes to address racial equality in the United Kingdom. WSN brings a summary of the report and the speech of Slough MP Tan Dhesi.

PUBLIC OUTCRY AND STRONG PARLIAMENTARY INTERVENTION by opposition Members of Parliament in the British House of Commons forced the Boris Johnson government to release the 69-page Public Health England report which says that as per the data collected by it, BAME -Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic group of people, especially health care and other frontline personnel, are more susceptible to Covid19.

The first turbaned Sikh Member Parliament Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, in a six-minute speech in the British Parliament, pointed out how he lost three dear ones to Covid19 and how it pains him to see that the Health Ministry has not initiated any practical steps to contain the spread of the deadly virus amongst all communities, including the BAME communities who are more vulnerable.

Tan Dhesi forthrightly stated, “Having lost loved ones to COVID, this for me is personal. If BAME doctors and nurses are good enough to die on the frontline, surely they’re good enough to lead.”

“It is clear from discussions with stakeholders that COVID-19 in their view did not create health inequalities, but rather the pandemic exposed and exacerbated longstanding inequalities affecting BAME groups in the UK.”

Seeking policy change, the British Parliamentarian for Slough said, “Given the huge level of BAME deaths (especially of health, care and other key workers), we need to urgently tackle the structural racial inequalities in society, including in our NHS.”

The Executive Summary of the Report reads, “There is clear evidence that COVID-19 does not affect all population groups equally. Many analyses have shown that older age, ethnicity, male sex and geographical area, for example, are associated with the risk of getting the infection, experiencing more severe symptoms and higher rates of death.”

“The PHE review of disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 shows that there is an association between belonging to some ethnic groups and the likelihood of testing positive and dying with COVID-19.”

“Having lost loved ones to COVID, this for me is personal. If BAME doctors and nurses are good enough to die on the frontline, surely they’re good enough to lead.”

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, British Member of Parliament from Slough

The report admits that “It is clear from discussions with stakeholders that COVID-19 in their view did not create health inequalities, but rather the pandemic exposed and exacerbated longstanding inequalities affecting BAME groups in the UK.”

There has also been a disproportionate increase in the number of deaths in the British Midlands. Worried about the increasing numbers, in April 2020, the Sikh Federation had chided the Health Minister for not collecting religion-wise data and had publicly stated that, “Public bodies are in breach of the Equality Act.”

As the situation in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai is alarming and is likely to get worse, Sikh activists wonder whether a similar situation exists for minorities-Sikhs, Muslims and Dalits, in India too. If it does, will have our very own SMDP -Sikh, Muslim, Dalit and Poor report into health inequalities in India?