Governments Need to Guarantee Health Care Without Racism

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has provided guidance to governments on addressing racial discrimination in healthcare. Racism impacts health rights globally, affecting social determinants of health, healthcare resource distribution, access to health information, and interactions with healthcare providers, particularly for patients of color. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues. CERD’s guidance aligns with Human Rights Watch suggestions, emphasizing the need for governments to collect disaggregated equality data to address systemic racism in healthcare. The guidance also addresses barriers contributing to preventable cervical cancer deaths for Black women.