Dr. Oz Pushing for More Black Doctors, Says it’s a Life or Death Matter

Dr Oz is appalled and embarrassed by statistics such as black newborns are 3 times more likely to die under the care of white doctors – and now he’s on a mission to do something about it.

The doc joined “TMZ Live” on Tuesday to explain why he launched the #moreBlackdoctors initiative as part of his effort to raise awareness of racial bias in hospitals. He told us how one of his collaborators opened his eyes to the vision of the black community in the medical field.

Oz, who just launched his show’s 12th season, says he gets goosebumps after learning that black babies in the care of black doctors have a higher survival rate than black babies in care of white doctors. This is terribly true.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the United States National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) showed that the death rate of black newborns rose from 58% to 39% when in the care of doctors black. But, when it comes to white babies, their death rate was hardly affected regardless of the doctor’s race.

You will remember, activist Bakari sellers recently shared his shocking tale about his wife’s pregnancy – and Dr Oz says it’s a stark reminder of the prejudices that exist even in medicine.