NHS Confederation chair Victor Adebowale says his 92-year-old mother received “black service, not an NHS service” before her death from cancer, calling out health inequities in the UK.
Victor Adebowale, chairman of the NHS Confederation, has blamed the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) for his 92-year-old Nigerian mother’s death from lung cancer, describing her treatment as unequal and undignified.
Speaking at the NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester, Adebowale said Grace Adebowale — a former NHS nurse of 45 years — “got a black service, not an NHS service.”
“It was not the dignified death that we would have wanted for her. It wasn’t the death she deserved,” he said, revealing she went to A&E in poor condition and that his sister had to fight for a treatment room.
Adebowale noted her records showed no signs of cancer, adding: “People have chronic diseases and don’t know — it’s more likely to happen if you’re Black or poor.”
An NHS spokesperson responded: “Everyone… should receive the best NHS care possible,” adding that the system is working to reduce health disparities as part of a new 10-year plan.