A groundbreaking study in the UK has revealed that there has been a major exodus of doctors from ethnic minorities from the NHS because of the systemic racism they face at the personal and institutional levels.

Close to one-third of the physicians surveyed said they've considered leaving the NHS, or have left it within the past two years because of race discrimination, with 42% of Black and 41% of Asian doctors saying they've left or are considering leaving.

According to The Independent, the survey allows for a clear view of institutional barriers to career progression in ethnic minorities, the dangerously low levels of reporting racist incidents, and the growing toll of mental health on minority doctors.

The study received responses from more than 2,000 doctors and medical students, and the British Medical Association (BMA) said it believes it to be one of the largest of its kind to document racism in the medical profession.

The BMA's chair of council, Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, said that the NHS was built "on the principle of equality of care for patients whoever they are, but this report shows that the NHS is shamefully failing in this principle for its own doctors, with those from ethnic minorities reporting alarming levels of unfair treatment and racial inequality at work."

He further said it was concerning that many of those surveyed didn't report instances of racism out of fear of recrimination, or lack of confidence that the issue would be properly investigated, thus showing the impact and the scale of suffering that medical professionals in the NHS have to endure, with 60% of Asian and 57% of Black respondents saying they saw racism as a barrier to career progression.

“Racism is wrecking the lives of many doctors, affecting patient care and threatening services. The time for talk on this is over. Our report makes a range of clear recommendation for change which demand action across the health system, from government to NHS organisations, leaders and other institutions.”