Nigerian trainee doctor sue college for ?300,000 for 'racist bullying' by co-students

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:09 PM on 19th February 2009

A black medical student is suing her college for ?300,000 after claiming it was 'institutionally racist' in failing to stop alleged bullying by fellow medics.

Virginia Jibowu, 25, claims that fellow students at King's College medical school refused to eat or share a shower room with her.

She is suing the college - part of the University of London - for harassment, race discrimination and victimisation.

Miss Jibowu enrolled on a six-year medical degree course for students from disadvantaged backgrounds in 2002.

She said students on her course had to wear a special badge, which led to them being bullied by those on the regular five-year degree.

She shared digs with five others, including Richard Pinder, a leading Young Conservative.

In legal papers submitted to Central London County Court, she said: 'Mr Pinder asked me if black men were less intelligent than other people.

'He also said that he had stopped contacting a mutual friend because he had become 'too black'.

Miss Jibowu claimed three other white flatmates - including one called Emily Bowen - were 'hostile' during her hospital placement in Hastings, East Sussex, in 2006.

She alleged: 'The group refused to share the shower room with me and discussed rotas for the only other shower. Emily stated, 'We should introduce a virus into Africa to wipe out the continent and kill off all the black Africans so that we can move in'.



Virginia Jibowu

'Ostracised': Virginia Jibowu claims fellow students refused to eat or share a shower room with her

Miss Jibowu had passed the first five years of study without failing an assessment and was due to start work last August as a doctor at Gwent Hospital in Wales.She claims the college deliberately failed her from final exams and, without telling her, told the hospital she would not be taking up her post. It then wrongly insisted she should re-sit the whole of her final year, she added.

In the court papers, she said: 'The college disregarded my complaints and graduated all students complained about.



Doctor Emily Bowen said :'We should introduce a virus into Africa to wipe out the continent and kill off all the black Africans so that we can move in'.




Flatmate: Emily Bowen is accused of being 'hostile' to Miss Jibowu during her hospital placement in Hastings in 2006

'All the alleged racists are now practising as doctors in the NHS. This can only ingrain the problem of institutional racism within the medical practice.

'At no point has the college accepted it was at fault for allowing an institutionally racist and hostile studying environment to exist.'

Miss Jibowu, of South Lambeth, South London, is demanding ?300,000 for loss of earnings, aggravated damages and injury to health and feelings.

If she fails to qualify from the course, she is expected to sue again for the loss of her career.

The college, Dr Pinder and Dr Bowen all strongly deny her claims



Doctor Richard J.Pinder  asked ", if black men were less intelligent than other people, "

Kings College Medical School has since refused to award Virginia her ?Exit Degree?, which has been awarded to all other MBBS students who passed the 4th year of the programme.

[urlhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104622132925944 (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104622132925944]]

[http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/19/article-1149708-0396029A000005DC-355_468x343.jpg/url]

Doctor Richard J.Pinder  asked ", if black men were less intelligent than other people, "

Kings College Medical School has since refused to award Virginia her ?Exit Degree?, which has been awarded to all other MBBS students who passed the 4th year of the programme.

[urlhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104622132925944 (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104622132925944][/url]
[url][http://www.virginiajibowu.co.uk//url]

If any young nigerians want to study medicine then for the love of God do not apply to that Medical School Kings College London, unless you want racial harrassment and want to be put on the EMDP, look at what they did to Sister Virginia Jibowu

spikedcylinder with due respect I really feel you need to purchase a copy of Virginia Jibowu witness statement form the county court of better still do your own research and check out the facebook group what you will find may surprise you. In fact go and ask Dr Rita Pal what she thinks,

this is just a bit of the witness statement

1) Made on behalf of the Claimant
2) Witness: Virginia O.S. Jibowu
3) 1st Statement
4) Exhibits: see attached exhibit sheet
5) Date made: 15 January 2010



IN THE CENTRAL COUNTY COURT
Case No: 9CL00753
Between:
VIRGINIA JIBOWU Claimant
And
KING’S COLLEGE LONDON
Defendant
WITNESS STATEMENT OF
VIRGINIA JIBOWU


1. I Virginia O. S Jibowu make the following statement.

2. I am a 26 –year old female of Nigerian-Welsh origin. I was a full-time undergraduate student on the Defendant’s Extended Medical Degree Programme (EMDP) from September 2002 until December 2008. On 20 October 2008 I was injured by a porter driving a wheelchair into the back of my leg whilst I was on my clinical attachment at King’s College Hospital. As a result of my injury, Professor Greenough (Head of the medical School) removed me from my programme. I am currently unemployed and suffer from reduced mobility as a result of the injury sustained.

3. King’s College London medical School is called Guy’s King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine (GKT). KCL is in partnership with Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust Hospitals. The Institute of Psychiatry (IOP) became a school of King’s College London in August 1997. The King’s College Hospital is further affiliated with the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. KCL also has various alliances with South London G. P. Practices within Lambeth and other Primary Care Trusts. The General Medical Council and the South Thames Foundation Schools are also closely linked with KCL.

4. Whilst at King’s College London (KCL) I was subjected to disability discrimination preventing me from taking up the F1 post I had secured with the Wales Foundation School. I suffer from severe incapacitating dysmenorrhoea. This is a debilitating condition which prevents me from carrying on my normal day to day activities for at least 2 days every month (I refer to the letter dated 6 August 2001 from Anne Giwa-Amu to the Health Authority (marked exhibit 1), with the response dated 17 August 2001 (marked exhibit 2), and also the letter dated 10 August 2001 from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital confirming my referral to the Pain Management Centre (marked exhibit 3).

5. I was also subjected to ‘continuing acts’ of racial segregation, racial discrimination, harassment, bullying and institutional racism from 2002-2009. In summary:

a) I was racially discriminated against during the recruitment and selection process and racially segregated onto the EMDP course which I had not applied for.
b) Despite my protests, I was kept on the EMDP course from 2002-2008/9
c) The EMDP course is a 6 year programme whilst the standard MBBS is a 5 year programme. Therefore, being placed on the EMDP course subjected me an additional year at university during which time I could have been employed.
d) I was compelled to wear a badge from 2002-2008/9 marking me out as one of the EMDP students. As the course was advertised as being designed to bring in more students from socially deprived ethnic minority backgrounds this was a humiliating experience for me.
e) I was compelled to participate in various research projects without my knowledge and consent. This included social research, psychological research and IQ tests from 2002 -2008/9.
f) I was covertly monitored without good reason over a period of time whilst on the EMDP course.
g) My complaints of racial harassment and bullying by fellow students were not investigated but I was ‘watched’ because I had made those complaints.
h) I was subjected to ‘institutional victimisation’ because of my complaints by members of the management team who orchestrated a campaign to discredit me.
i) Following my injury whilst on clinical attachment at King’s College Hospital, management refused to investigate my complaints and continued to spread false and defamatory statements about my mental health.

This girl is obviously lying and spicing up the story to make money.

About the only part I believe is the part she said they contacted her potential employers in Wales without due process. All the numerous allegations about race like if it was 1932, I believe she made up to make her case stronger.

It is flipping unbelievable in this day and age to find so MAJORITY, as she claimed, of people IN THE UK, in such a career line and at such a university that are so CRUDELY and OPENLY racist.

RonkePh:

If any young nigerians want to study medicine then for the love of God do not apply to that Medical School Kings College London, unless you want racial harrassment and want to be put on the EMDP, look at what they did to Sister Virginia Jibowu

This is clunking rubbish.

Medicine is notoriously a difficult course to enter in the UK. Over 95% of students that are successful get AAA at A-levels. Even some with AAA get turned down. The EMDP apparently was introduced to widen partipation of people doing Medicine as very few black kids have the educational nurturing to get AAA at A-levels, which meant very negligible number of blacks entered Medical school.

KCL introduced the EMDP to help disadvantage minorities to be able to study Medicine by doing one extra year of foundation on top of the 5 years required to study medicine. The normal medicine course of MBBS was advertised as requiring ABB (during her year of entry, 2001) to qualify for acceptance. The reality is that because Medicine is so competitive, alot of students exceed this score and normally have AAA+ (most have 4 As). I have never met anyone on a Medicine course with less than AAB at A levels. KCL lowered the entry standard to help minority kids enter Medicine to CCC+ requirement.

According to news reports, Virginia was predicted AAC at A-levels which means she was not qualified or competitive enough for the MBBS programme and was put on the EMDP. She eventually achieves only ACC at A Levels, so I really don't see anything wrong with her being on the EMDP. She should be grateful she was still able to follow her dream despite not having the required grade.

The only thing I can fault KCL for is the requirement EMDP students (that are mainly black) having to wear a badge for their entire 6 years on the course. How steeewpid of them!!!

At worst, they should have been required to wear it only in their 1st year on the course and treated like any MBBS undergrad in the remaining 5 years.