Black Body

Instituto Yduqs - an initiative for social and environmental responsibility by Yduqs, the largest higher education group in Brazil - and Instituto de Educação Médica (IDOMED) - a medical education institute that brings together several medical schools with over 25 years of experience in the field - have released the short film “Black Body”, based on true pains.

Created by Artplan - the largest Brazilian advertising agency with 100% national capital, the production reveals the harsh reality of racism in the context of healthcare assistance and services in Brazil. Focusing on the microaggressions and discriminations suffered by Black people, the initiative questions the differences in medical care and the racial obstacles that affect the quality of life of this significant portion of the population.

The insight for the film came from the studies of the MEDIVERSIDADE project, by Instituto Yduqs and IDOMED, which works to include diverse ethnicities and social conditions in healthcare. The short film highlights the alarming fact that only 3% of doctors in Brazil are Black, according to data from the Federal Council of Medicine in 2023.

Real data, extracted from various studies and publications, demonstrates the inequality in healthcare: Black patients wait, on average, 10 minutes longer to be evaluated. Moreover, consultations with Black patients last, on average, 47% less than with white patients. They also have fewer chances of undergoing imaging exams or X-rays, which can compromise early and accurate diagnoses. The time between diagnosis and surgery is, on average, 6.7 days longer for Black patients, highlighting a systemic bias that can directly affect the survival and quality of life of this population.

The short film was released on April 1st at Cinema Estação in Shopping da Gávea, located in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). After its screening, a roundtable discussion on the topic took place, featuring Amanda Machado, professor, doctor, and member of the Inclusion, Diversity, and Humanization Center (NIDH) of IDOMED; and Nany Oliveira, the short film's director. The discussion was moderated by Annelise Passos, Project Manager for Diversity and Inclusion at Artplan.

To expand the visibility of the project, communication initiatives focused on racial literacy will be carried out, including special screenings of the film in national cinemas, activations with digital influencers, lectures with specialists, and dissemination in Out of Home (OOH) media.

Alongside the audiovisual content, an unprecedented material in medicine was developed: the book Nigrum Corpus - A Study on Racism in Brazilian Medicine. Based on real testimonies, the book is an educational material that highlights biases within the health field, addressing the origin of the problem already in the training of health professionals. The goal is for the material to be distributed to the main medical schools in the country, in order to prioritize the training of more conscious, empathetic, and prepared doctors to face institutional racism.