turning a blind eye

[shootingstar]

It was made worse by the fact she was dark complected and female.

Who knows how long she was on the road, but finally someone stopped to help her - a British woman on vacation. She managed to flag a taxi and took the firefighter to 3, yes, THREE different hospitals before one would accept her. The firefighter apparently wasn't carrying any cash so they were reluctant to admit her.

Long and short, the firefighter sustained catastrophic head injury and passed away two days later. The woman who helped her was flown to Vancouver and was given a special commendation during the firefighter's funeral.

You mean she was dark complexioned and female, which made it worse?

Anyway, this is horrific and sad.

[badger]

You mean she was dark complexioned and female, which made it worse?

Anyway, this is horrific and sad.

well, she was in India where women generally aren't treated very well. If she was blonde, or more visibily a "tourist", she may have stood a better chance of being helped.

[Owlie]

You mean she was dark complexioned and female, which made it worse?

Anyway, this is horrific and sad.

Someone with a half-Goan background here...
Yes. Indians in general are very--shall we say--color-conscious. It's an indicator of, among other things, social class. And even though Goa is culturally somewhat different from much of the rest of India, that still holds. And yes, this goes for medical treatment. If you don't obviously have money--ie, being relatively light-skinned or looking like a tourist, you're going to have trouble getting medical care.

I know that I've posted a picture of myself here. I'd probably have difficulty getting medical treatment there unless they saw my passport.
This fact probably would have saddened my Goan grandmother (who was a doctor), but this has probably become more prevalent as the demographics of the state have changed.

/tangent