Campaigners Demand Greater Protection For BAME Pregnant Women
As Public Health England research confirms that Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people are being disproportionately killed by Covid-19, campaigners continue to demand greater protection for pregnant mothers from these communities.
Recent data shows that 55% of pregnant women in the UK admitted to hospital between 1 March to 14 April with coronavirus were from BAME backgrounds.
As it stands, government guidance categorises all pregnant women as “vulnerable” to Covid-19. In light of this research, campaigners are calling for BAME expectant mothers to be classed as “clinically extremely vulnerable”, which would effectively force employers to better safeguard them.
Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), said: “We already know women from certain ethnic groups may be more likely to have pre-existing health conditions and complications, and socioeconomic inequalities impact on the accessibility of health services, and lead to poorer outcomes.
“We need to better understand these complex factors and how to make services fully accessible and inclusive so that no woman is left behind.”
Pregnant Then Screwed, an organisation that advocates for working mothers’ rights, has launched a petition calling for BAME pregnant women to be shielded. It has so far garnered more than 3,000 signatures.
But additional numbers paint a bleak picture: some 25% of pregnant NHS workers are risking their lives by working in direct contact with patients who could have Covid-19, while 24% of pregnant NHS workers feel “unsafe”, a survey by the organisation found.
This figure is significantly higher for BAME pregnant NHS workers, with 31% feeling unsafe.
Some 8% of pregnant women in general are working in environments they consider unsafe; that figure increased to 12% for BME pregnant workers.
A further 8% have been suspended from work on the wrong terms, a potential breach of their employment rights.
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