Hispanic Medical Professionals

The medical profession in one’s community is the institution most directly responsible for providing appropriate healthcare services that make possible the enjoyment of family and community life, and enable participation in, and contribution to, society. Unfortunately, as has been true of most American institutions throughout U.S. history, the medical profession also embraced injustice attributable to race, gender, and citizenship. Over the years, Hispanics have encountered problems attempting to get access to the training required to earn a medical degree. Further, it was not uncommon in the U.S. for hospitals to deny Hispanic doctors the privilege of treating patients in their institutions. As a result, despite being the largest minority in the U.S. today, Hispanic doctors are only a very small percentage of practicing physicians in our country. 

The lack of Hispanic doctors is in part responsible for the fact that members of this community often lack access to healthcare. According to the Brookings Institution (a nonprofit public policy organization that conducts research intended to solve problems facing society), Hispanics suffer from poorer health and have less access to high-quality care.  Language and cultural barriers, lack of access to preventive care, and lack of health insurance also are major factors influencing Hispanic healthcare. For example, the dramatic decline in life expectancy in the U.S. resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic affected Hispanics more severely than all other groups except African Americans.  In 2020, the leading cause of death among Hispanics was COVID-19. Were more Hispanic doctors available to treat a population with significant health care issues, the accessibility problem might have been alleviated.