Women of Color in Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation The Race Across the Pond Initiative: Women of Color in the Healthcare System Series
experiencing frustration, negative cognitive biases, and discriminations. Some doctors tend to avoid or leave these geographical areas due to their limited capacity and inability to interact effectively with some of their patients. Telemedicine, a provision of health services by the means of Information and Communication Technologies, is considered one of the viable strategies to improve access to health care for the populations living in medical deserts. However, additional barriers arise. Not everyone has access to a computer or smartphone to conduct teleconsultation, and the internet connection is not optimal everywhere, while individuals’ digital literacy is limited4 -notwithstanding that telemedicine cannot replace physical examination. The example of Seine-Saint-Denis, the biggest medical desert in metropolitan France, shows how COVID-19 highlighted discrimination against RMGs due to precarious socio-professional situations and reduced their access to healthcare services. The vaccination campaign left out people with low digital literacy, French proficiency, and great distance from health care providers. The Health Department of Seine-Saint-Denis, recorded the highest COVID- related mortality rate in France.
b) The Burden of Procedures and Statutes Beyond the legal limitations and the lack of accessibility, RMGs suffer from hurdles created by rigid administrative staff who either enforce the implementation of harsh and unfair measures or block and complicate existing procedures to limit or delay RMGs’ access to services. Moreover, obtaining the "Complémentaire Santé Solidaire" (CSS) does not guarantee access to care or equitable service. CSS coverage taints the patients in ways that reveal their precarious situation to doctors, who, although it is illegal, sometimes refuse to take care of patients under the guise of administrative and bureaucratic pressure from the health insurance funds (justification of the care pathway), the long repayment period, the cumbersome administrative process. Having the state medical aid represents a source of potential direct and indirect discrimination for RMGs, who also represent a majority of vulnerable population. Moreover, some patients have reported direct 4
Ability to use computer tools with ease without the assistance of a third party.
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