A Woman Goes To The Doctor

A fat woman with a history of mental health concerns walks into a doctor’s office. How do you think it goes?

I could say the fact that we all know the answer is telling. But it’s more than that. It’s troubling, devastating, horrifying, crushing, and a shocking indictment of a medical system. Why is it that I know that whole classes of people – LGBTQIA+, disabled, women, fat, Indigenous, mentally ill – are going to be mistreated by the people they rely on to keep them alive?

After moving from Australia to London, I was astonished to find that you do not get to choose your GP clinic – you are assigned a clinic, or if you’re lucky, a handful to choose from, based on where you live – and if you don’t like it, too bad. Because the medical system was literally built for white men, they have no trouble finding a provider that they connect with, even within the UK system. However, the NHS system disproportionately impacts marginalised groups, who by definition are going to run up against more stigma and discrimination within the system and therefore are more likely to be unable to find a healthcare provider who they connect with. And unlike countries like Australia where they could move to another clinic, that solution is not so simple.

After my first experience with an NHS doctor, where I felt much of this discrimination very acutely, I came to Amplefolk to share my story to show others that they are not alone, and to draw attention to the way that minoritised communities are treated in the medical system worldwide in order to demand change. Many took to the comments to share their own stories, offer kind words and support, and share advice.

One thread in particular arose from commenters who had lived in the UK – most offering it as genuine advice, a rare few dunking on me as an ‘uninformed Australian’. This tip was to go to an ‘out of bounds’ GP clinic (a clinic that is not in my assigned area), and ask if they will still take me as a patient despite not living in their district. I am very grateful for this advice, and in fact, this was actually the first thing I tried to do before joining my local clinic, however, the two clinics I tried to join both rejected me, and honestly, I was tired of fighting.

People in marginalised bodies (and there are people in far more marginalised bodies than me) spend much of our lives advocating for ourselves, whether it be in the medical system or elsewhere, and it just gets tiring. Sometimes I just want a blood test without running through the whole “we should probably check your BMI, you really should lose some weight” spiel. Sometimes I just want a specialist referral without running through the whole “are you sure this isn’t your anxiety” thing. Sometimes I just want some antibiotics without being asked “I wonder if this is related to your menstrual cycle”. Getting ready to go to the doctor shouldn’t involve me getting ready for a fight. 

So, while I am so grateful for all the suggestions to advocate for myself to be accepted to another clinic, I think it is absolutely ridiculous that I should have to. I shouldn’t have to ‘game the system’ to get basic healthcare. I should just get to access it, plain and simple.