26 April 2026
Sinikka Kitö - THL
Considering the words we use, the decisions we make, and the attitudes we hold, along with recognising discriminatory practices in everyday healthcare settings, are crucial steps public health professionals can take to address health disparities among ethnic minorities. As part of JACARDI’s Equity Lens series, this article examines differences in treatment and care for ethnic minorities, the importance of building trust, and concrete actions professionals can take to achieve more equitable health outcomes.
Since racism directly affects health outcomes, adopting an antiracist approach is integral to quality care, emphasizes Dr. Najma Yusuf, a medical doctor and an antiracism educator for the JACARDI Masterclass titled “Antiracism is care: Advancing Equity in Healthcare”. It is vital to recognize harmful structures, deconstruct them, and avoid past mistakes, especially in the current political climate.
Understanding structural racism and historical context
Racism in healthcare has been well documented and is rooted in structural issues. Studies show that patients from ethnic minorities may receive different treatment than the majority population. This discrepancy is visible even in common medical tests; for instance, in the case of pulse oximetry, which can lead to significant delays in initiating therapy. Diagnosis and treatment decisions made by healthcare professionals can also be influenced by cultural biases.
Dr. Yusuf shed light on the controversial history of medicine, noting that unethical medical experiments conducted on ethnic minorities were a regular occurrence not too long ago. The enduring effects of this history mean that certain minority groups remain wary of healthcare professionals today. Consequently, building trust must begin from the very start, which requires time.
From race-based to race-conscious medicine
A key concern is that race is still used as a risk factor for disease in health research. This persists despite the fact that it has been well-established that race is a social construct, rather than a biological risk factor.
Dr. Yusuf argued that, instead of relying on biology, race should be defined as a social and power construct. This approach allows practitioners to understand and see the effect that race has on an individual’s health and wellbeing. Moving away from race-based medicine toward race-conscious medicine will eventually lead to the reduction of racial health inequalities.
Five concrete ways to promote active antiracism
Antiracism requires active action, and there are concrete ways to promote it within healthcare and healthcare research. Dr. Yusuf presented five actions that professionals can take:
- Admitting the existence of structural racism
- Having active plans to reduce structural racism
- Meeting patients without prejudice
- Disaggregating data in health research for equity monitoring (by country of birth, language, ethnicity)
- Using participatory approaches involving affected communities
Resources:
- Online course on anti-racism for professionals (videos are in Finnish with English subtitles)
- The Moni Suomi Study
- Pulling at the heart: COVID-19, race/ethnicity and ongoing disparities by Chin-Hong, P et al.
- From race-based to race-conscious medicine: how anti-racist uprisings call us to act
- Tackling structural racism and ethnicity-based discrimination in health
About Dr. Najma Yusuf
As a physician specializing in emergency medicine, and an anti-racism expert at the University of Helsinki, Dr. Yusuf has a demonstrated history of working in healthcare, biomedical sciences, and public health. Beyond her medical practice, she is actively engaged in advancing equity and inclusion, serving as a Board Member of the Finnish-Somalia Association (FSA) and as a trainer for doctors in Finland, contributing to a JACARDI pilot program developing antiracist training for healthcare professionals.
About the JACARDI Equity Lens Series:
Throughout this series, we share why equity and diversity are not optional add-ons but core components of truly equitable healthcare as well as a shared responsibility for everyone working in the field. To share the knowledge generated within JACARDI, the Equity Lens article series draws on the JACARDI Equity Masterclass series that provides an in-depth look into matters related to equity and diversity for JACARDI pilot teams conducting 143 healthcare interventions across Europe. The article series offers insights shared by a diverse pool of public health professionals within the consortium. By looking through an equity lens, we can build a more inclusive system for everyone. Join us in learning how an equity lens can shape daily practice and drive meaningful change.
Read the first article in the series: JACARDI’s 4Cs framework for advancing equity and diversity