A video was posted online last Sunday wherein a woman demands a "white doctor" to see her child. In a four-minute video, the woman repeatedly says that her son should be examined by a “white doctor” who “doesn’t have brown teeth” and “speaks English." She said that her son "had chest pains." When the mother was told that her child has to be seen by a pediatrician and that no doctors fit her description, she got mad. The man who uploaded the video, Hitesh Bhardwaj said that a "sense of responsibility made him post it." The woman’s behavior comes as a shock to some because it destroys the elusive idea of equality and equity.
Doctors say 'Racist rants from patients, not the first time'
The incident last Sunday prompted condemnation from both the health minister and the Ontario premier and it went viral in international headlines. According to some doctors, the recent incident is not "isolated." Many doctors agree that such incidents of racism are not new to them, but say that handling the issue is difficult as there are no clear policies and protocols on how to deal them.
CTV News reported that the Minister of Ontario Health, Eric Hoskins, said that the provincial medical community will not tolerate racism and the woman's words. He added, “That kind of racist behavior and hateful is unacceptable no matter where it happens.”
Premier Kathleen Wynne has also stepped into the issue, saying, “there is no place for that kind of behavior, that kind of racism and hatred, quite honestly, in our society.”
People who know the woman say 'She's a racist'
In a recent interview with NEWS Toronto, two women said they recognized the woman in the video right away.
According to them, they used to be friends with her until a few months ago. The woman used to say offensive words saying "I don't want to get involved with Black People and I don't want my kids to get surrounded with negative persons (referring to black people)."
The woman in the video was reached to get her side of the story but refused to say a thing about the issue.
On the other side, neighbors say they had several altercations with the woman involved. The woman was previously reported last summer to police after she allegedly yelled: "racial slurs" at children. The local police have confirmed that they have attended the neighbor dispute but no charges were laid.
Now that the video has gone viral, her former friends and neighbors hope that the woman learns something from this experience.
