Some U.S. Black physicians pushed out of hospitals due to racial discrimination: ABC News

NEW YORK, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Three Black physicians, ranging from a former resident to a hospital executive, shared allegations of being systematically pushed out of their workplaces, reported ABC News on Monday.

"One claimed they were terminated without justification. Others said they resigned of their own volition due to an untenable work climate," said the report.

All of them cited racial discrimination as one reason for their departure, which they said was enabled and exacerbated by the medical field's competitive culture, hierarchical structure, and often exploitative nature.

They also pointed to the existing underrepresentation of Black doctors, who constitute only 5 percent of all practicing physicians nationwide, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Recent census data, meanwhile, shows that Black people make up around 12 percent of the U.S. population.

This shortage of Black doctors has been linked to reduced access to medical care, less effective medical care, and worse outcomes, especially among Black patients, the report said, citing the American Medical Association.