Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why this physician marched during a pandemic

Raj Sundar, MD
Policy
June 15, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

The nature of the virus has not changed. Large gatherings of people increase the risk of transmission of a deadly COVID-19 virus that could kill me, my loved ones, and my community. I have emphasized this for the past few months to my patients and scolded anyone who casually and carelessly broke public health recommendations at their convenience. However, after witnessing the murder of George Floyd by the police, as a doctor, I had no choice but to defy public health recommendations and risk my reputation to hypocritically march among thousands of caregivers during a pandemic.

I marched because I am tired of the increasing futility of my job as a doctor for black Americans. As a primary care doctor, my goal is to ameliorate human suffering and achieve well-being for my patients. Unfortunately, police brutality prevents me from achieving that goal by ending the lives of black Americans suddenly, violently and traumatically.  The prominent murder of Trayvon Martin happened on February 26, 2012. Since then, numerous solutions for ending police violence against black Americans have been proposed including a playbook from the Task Force on 21st Century Policing and recommendations from APHA, but substantial change has not happened due to a lack of will and power to implement these solutions in communities across the United States. Black Americans are still 2.5 times more likely to be killed by the police, and we continue to see horrific events like the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd publicized to the world. How can I provide care to extend the life of black Americans if they’re at risk of a violent death at any moment regardless of my actions? How much longer can I remain complicit in these murders by not using my power as a doctor to speak up?

I marched because while over 100,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19 this year, more than 83,000 black American lives are lost every year due to systemic racism. With the COVID-19 pandemic, not only have we had to suffer through the consequences of a deadly virus but also the economic and mental suffering caused by the level of social isolation needed to combat the virus. However, this suffering has a timeline. We have a phased plan to reopen the economy and our lives as the capacity to test, trace, and isolate increases, and the incidence of COVID-19 cases decreases. We have hope that there’ll be a COVID-19 vaccine in early 2021. But what is our timeline to end systemic racism? Black Americans are suffering disproportionately through this pandemic. They are more likely to have lost their jobs and face economic insecurity, more likely to be labeled essential workers in low-paying jobs that risk their health and more likely to die of COVID-19. And during this time, they continue to be murdered publicly by police. Should I wait until the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled to march? Or do we all need to risk our lives now during a pandemic, so the world understands the gravity of this public health emergency?

I marched because I may be able to save my unborn child from COVID-19, but I cannot save him from a world that will judge him by the color of his skin. How can I rest when I know I can save my child from COVID-19 only to fear that he may suffer daily and risk a violent death because of the color of his skin for the rest of his life? The consequences and risks of staying silent are too large. I have a duty to wield my power and a moral obligation as a doctor to roar and march for justice. Taking the risk to march once during a pandemic is worth fighting against the threat of losing black lives indefinitely due to systemic racism. I will not stay silent.

Raj Sundar is a family physician and can be reached on Twitter @krajsundar.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Transition recommendations for the reporting of USMLE Step 1 scores as pass/fail

June 15, 2020 Kevin 2
…
Next

South Asian physicians must be part of the solution against racism

June 15, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Transition recommendations for the reporting of USMLE Step 1 scores as pass/fail
Next Post >
South Asian physicians must be part of the solution against racism

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Raj Sundar, MD

  • It’s time to ditch cultural competence

    Raj Sundar, MD

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • The pandemic has only further strengthened my passion to become a physician

    Karan Patel
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for social media training in medical education 

    Oscar Chen, Sera Choi, and Clara Seong
  • Why this physician teaches health policy in medical school

    Kenneth Lin, MD
  • Unethical policy: Resuming federal lethal injections during a global pandemic

    Charles E. Binkley, MD
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD

More in Policy

  • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

    AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section
  • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

    Joshua Vasquez, MD
  • Online eye exams spark legal battle over health care access

    Joshua Windham, JD and Daryl James
  • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

    Holland Haynie, MD
  • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

    Dave Cummings, RN
  • Healing the doctor-patient relationship by attacking administrative inefficiencies

    Allen Fredrickson
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why this physician marched during a pandemic
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...