STUDY FINDS IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT CASTE-BASED ATTITUDES AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

September 28, 2026

A study of healthcare providers in Uttar Pradesh has identified both explicit and implicit caste-related attitudes among medical and support staff, raising questions about how social biases may influence interactions within public healthcare institutions. The researchers, however, cautioned that the findings do not establish that providers actually discriminated against Scheduled Caste patients in their clinical practice.

The study, conducted by economists Shivani Yadav and Krishna Ram, surveyed 106 healthcare providers working across a district hospital, a medical university and 14 primary and community health centres in Etawah. Participants included doctors, interns, nurses, ward staff and laboratory technicians from different social categories. The research was published in Health Care Analysis.

Researchers reported that 23 participants, including 13 doctors, agreed with the view that poorer health among Scheduled Caste communities could be linked to inherited or genetic susceptibility to disease. Separately, 36 of 48 participants who completed an Implicit Association Test showed an automatic association favouring Forward Castes over Scheduled Castes. The researchers described these findings as indicators of caste-linked attitudes rather than direct evidence of discriminatory treatment.

The study also recorded differences in views on affirmative-action policies and social relations between caste groups. Researchers said such attitudes could potentially influence professional interactions, although the study did not directly measure differences in treatment or clinical outcomes between patients of different castes.

The authors acknowledged that the study's sample was relatively small and confined to one district, limiting the extent to which its findings can be generalised to healthcare providers across India. Independent researchers cited by The Telegraph similarly cautioned against drawing nationwide conclusions from the Etawah sample.