I'm a Doctor, Not a Nurse

Today I had the opportunity to interview Joice Aragao de Jesus the national coordinator of the Policy for Total Attention to People Who Suffer from Falciform Diseases. She gave a very informative interview at her house in Rio de Janeiro about the subtlety of institutional racism in Brazil.

About six or seven years ago, there weren't any programs in Rio de Janeiro to address the treatment of people who suffered from sickle cell anemia. People would die because of lack of treatment. The reason programs were made was because of a favorable political moment when Benedita da Silva, a black woman, became governer of Rio. Now there are programs in Bahia and Rio which aim to diagnose the disease.

Aragao gave a variety of examples of proof that racial democracy does not exist in Brazil. Discrmination occurs by not looking at the differences between Black and white people. Stereotypes are internalized and people often ask her if she is nurse because there are such few Black doctors, especially women. She has to clarify that she is indeed a doctor. On the job she has noticed that doctors speak differently to Black women. Through the hospital walls, Aragao can tell by the tone of the doctor whether he is talking to a Black woman or a white woman. Black women are often given less anesthesia while giving birth.

Black activists have struggled to gain equal access to health care for Afro-Brazilians. Yet opponents claim that "special" programs are not needed because everyone in Brazil is Black or has some Black ancestry. She also mentioned that it is difficult to know the exact number of Black people who need health care because of the tendency to whiten oneself. Without exact numbers, it is difficult for people in the medical profession to know what type of health problems Black people are dealing with.

In August 2004, a group from the health ministry held a forum on the health care issues of the Afro-Brazilian population. A committee was formed and created a resolution on a health care policy for Afro-Brazilians.