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Whistleblowers silenced over failings in NHS pregnancy care

An Index investigation into the culture of secrecy shrouding maternity services and women’s healthcare in England

By Martin Bright

A Roma woman protesting at Ostrava Municipal Hospital. Her sign translates to: "their body - their right".

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MAGAZINE

LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 54.01 SPRING 2025

The forgotten patients: Lost voices in the global healthcare system

Modern medicine is a wonderful thing. Before Edward Jenner’s development of the smallpox vaccination in 1796, infectious diseases and viruses killed millions. The introduction of anaesthetic gases during surgical procedures in 1846 eliminated the excruciating pain of surgery. And before Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928, people died unnecessarily from cuts and grazes.

But the benefits of modern medicine are not felt equally around the world. In this issue, we explore the forgotten patients in global healthcare settings – the marginalised groups who fall through the cracks or are actively shut out of healthcare provision, then ignored or silenced when they raise concerns.

Just like free speech, healthcare is an indisputable human right. But for many around the globe, both these rights are being removed in conjunction with each other. Through telling their stories, this edition aims to shine a light on these injustices and – we hope – empower more people to speak up for the right to health for themselves and others.

Uncensored gallery

Index commissions censored and exiled artists from around the world to illustrate our magazine covers and feature stories. You can view some of their work here

Letters from Lukashenka's prisoners

Following a highly disputed election, Belarusian dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka claimed victory in August 2020. Protests erupted and a vicious crackdown ensued. Letters from Lukashenka’s Prisoners gives unjustly detained individuals a voice by collecting, translating, and publishing letters on our channels on a regular basis

Banned by Beijing

Banned by Beijing seeks to raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s subversion of freedom of expression in Europe by creating a repository of reports, articles and other resources that will enable us to understand the extent to which we need to protect our fundamental rights and our democracies from Chinese interference

SLAPPs

This campaign provides an insight into the extent to which journalists and media outlets in Europe are being affected by a type of vexatious legal action known as a Slapp – a strategic lawsuit against public participation