Vice Chair of the Czech Govt Council for Roma Minority Affairs: Collective guilt has no place in healthcare, open discrimination must be punished
Marian Dancso, a volunteer civil society member of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs, has sent an open letter to MUDr. Markéta Feninová, who posted an openly discriminatory sign in her ofice in Aš, Czech Republic refusing to register Romani patients because of their allegedly aggressive behavior. In the open letter, Dancso expresses his feeling of grievance over her applying the principle of collective guilt and points out that it is both legally problematic and unethical.
“As a Romani man who has never behaved aggressively toward doctors, I am interested in whether your decision would apply to me, too,” Dancso writes. Such behavior from a doctor, in his view, not only strengthens prejudice, but undermines faith in the healthcare system.
“High penalties must be exacted for such speech, because its impact extends far beyond the framework of an isolated incident, disrupting the foundation of equality and dignity on which our society is based,” he emphasizes. News server Romea.cz is publishing his open letter in full translation below.
Dear Madame Doctor,
I was greatly surprised to read your message announcing that “Roma will not be registered” by your office because of their “increasing aggressivity”. As a Romani man who has never behaved aggressively toward doctors I am interested in whether your decision would apply to me, too. What kind of specific behavior, in your view, constitutes aggressivity, and is it actually fair to relate the behavior of individuals to an entire ethnicity?
In my opinion, your approach is a clear example of the principle of collective guilt, which is not just unacceptable morally, but also legally problematic. The police may be claiming that this is not a felony case, but I disagree. Such behavior, in my view, meets the definition of discrimination and the dissemination of prejudice, and requires a response Whether taken legally or ethically, there must be clear consequences for such behavior. To claim this is not a crime and impose no penalty for it is exactly the kind of disregard that just strengthens prejudice and inequality here.
I think we can agree that the correct, professional approach to an aggressive patient is to call the Police of the Czech Republic, which has the competences to resolve such a situation. An across-the-board rejection of a whole ethnicity is unfair and completely contravenes both medical ethics and the fundamental values of our legal order.
I condemn any and all aggressivity, especially in cases targeting doctors and healthcare personnel, whose work is not just indispensable, but also essential to the running of society as a whole. At the same time, however, I emphatically insist that speech such as yours requires a high penalty. This is not just because it harms the foundations of the rule of law, but primarily because the word of a doctor has enormous weight in society and can significantly influence the attitudes and behavior of the broader public. Your words are not merely an opinion, they are a weapon that, in the hands of an authority figure, can spread prejudice and hate and divide society.
Sincerely,
PhDr. Mgr. Marian Dancso, MBA
