A tale of two nationalities
Before I started medical school, I believed health mainly involved the care of individuals with disease and illness. I had not yet realized that other factors, such as gender, race, or education, could impact health and well-being. This was until an A-level biology lesson where we learned about HIV/AIDS. We learnt about the high prevalence of HIV in Africa and how this was disproportionately skewed towards women. That is how my interest in public health was sparked.
I was born in Nigeria but moved to the UK when I was one. Still, I grew up in a household that was deeply rooted in Nigerian culture. I was constantly surrounded by its people, its music, its movies, its food, and a few of its languages. That was enough for me to identify as a Nigerian and love the country from afar, even from an early age. And so learning about the stark differences in health between countries in Africa and the UK really hit home. Growing up, I often heard about the poverty and inequalities people faced in Nigeria. I knew how hard my mum had worked to excel at school and university, which gave her the opportunity to study in the UK. So, to some extent, I knew how privileged I was to live here. I knew I was fortunate to live in a country where I could access free healthcare services, go to school, and not worry about the availability of food or water. But it was not until that one biology lesson that I fully understood the difference between my life here and that of young girls back in Nigeria. And I couldn’t help but imagine how different my life could have been if my circumstances had been different. Since then, I have taken a big interest in global health, especially global women’s health.
As much as I love Nigeria and its culture, the UK is my home. Especially Liverpool, the city I grew up in. While I don’t face the same struggles that my family and others face back in Nigeria, there are still major health disparities I encounter in the UK as black woman. I often hear stories of how several ethnic minorities don’t receive the same standard of care as their white counterparts. There are systemic racial barriers that prevent ethnic minority groups from accessing or receiving quality healthcare. They are often not listened to, not believed, or left in excessive amounts of pain. This is an experience faced globally by many people. Throughout medical school I have seen that it is often not considered or taught how symptoms can manifest differently in ethnic minorities. I find it distressing that this still occurs in this day and age, and I would not want it happening to myself or people I know.
Unlike Medicine, public health focuses more on protecting a community’s health and solving health inequalities. It ensures initial health through education, sanitation and hygiene, and access to quality healthcare. As a future doctor, through studying public health, I want to help represent those who are not heard, both in the UK and globally. There are many communities that are disparaged in healthcare and as a member of some of these communities, I would like to use my future career to help improve those poor health outcomes and improve healthcare for everyone.
