The first Black American female transplant surgeon has called out the racial biased that permeates the organ donation system.
Velma Scantlebury told Zenger that Black Americans continue to face unique disadvantages with the organ donation process compared to whites. Scantlebury, who has worked in the industry since 1989, said what Black Americans need most is greater awareness about the need for more organ donors.
Here’s more from CNN:
African-Americans have a more difficult time getting on kidney transplant lists, even though they are more likely to have end-stage renal disease. They trail whites in access to kidney transplants. Scantlebury said her black patients face inequality in health care, poor treatment by some doctors, lack of insurance, late referrals to specialists and a lack of health literacy.
“They are often diagnosed late, due to a lack of equity of health care. When referred to transplant, many have difficulty navigating the system to get the required tests. Hypertension and diabetes are more common in African-Americans, and despite this, many patients are neglected when it comes to getter their kidney function checked,” said Scantlebury, who has performed more than 2,000 transplants.
Source: Black Female Transplant Surgeon Talks Racism in the Organ Donation Process
