Politics & Governance / International Politics / Colonialism & Decolonization
The British Empire's Medical Service Was a Fake: $5,000 for a Mascot, $600 for a Real Doctor
Beyond the State: The Colonial Medical Service in British Africa
The British Empire boasted about bringing modern civilization to Africa, but declassified archives reveal a shocking truth: the Colonial Medical Service was a hollow, bankrupt facade. White government doctors cost $5,000 a year but did almost nothing, while missionary doctors did 4x the work for just $600. This video, based on Anna Greenwood's book *Beyond the State: The Colonial Medical Service in British Africa*, exposes how the empire faked its medical supremacy, outsourced care to churches and Indian doctors, and then erased their contributions. From the deliberate purging of Indian doctors in Kenya to the destruction of a life-saving maternity charity in Zanzibar, we uncover a system built on racism, control, and brutal compromises. The legacy lives on in modern global health NGOs. Watch to see how the sausage was really made.
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