My destiny or your responsibility???

The improvement of medicine would eventually prolong human life, but improvement of social conditions could achieve this result even more rapidly and successfully- Rudolf Virchow

The Roma community is the largest ethnic minority in Europe. According to Health World Organization in Europe live 12 to 15 million of Roma population(1)  which is characterized primarily by the situation of social exclusion and wide-ranging poverty experienced by a significant proportion of its members. Inadequate access to housing, education, employment and other needs, along with the existence of barriers to Roma access to health services and an ineffective use of these services due to their lack of adaptation and even to discrimination, all contribute to a range of avoidable injustices suffered by this community with regard to their health situation. (2)

UNDP survey data from 2004 and 2011 on Roma show that:

• One third of Roma respondents aged 35 to 54 reported health problems limiting their daily activities. (2011)     
• Approximately 20 per cent of Roma respondents were not covered by medical insurance or did not know if they were covered. (2011)
• 66 per cent of Roma said they could not afford prescription drugs compared to 29 per cent of the majority population. (2004)  
•  15 per cent of Roma children under the age of 14 are not vaccinated compared to four per cent of children from non-Roma households. (2004)(3)

In Albania the health situation of the Roma people is generally bad, due to the unhealthy environment where most of them live. Moreover, the Roma often do not have access to basic health services. High health service costs are the main obstacle towards the medical treatment of the Roma population. Only 25 percent of Roma earn enough income to buy medications. The government considers vaccination of children aged 1-14 years old as a priority measure, but in some cases, the vaccination of Roma children remains problematic particularly in the case of unregistered children or where families do not reside permanently in their place of residence. The Roma population has not enough information about the rights that the law guarantees in the field of health, including the vaccination system.(4)

This video was produced by ADRA 

But is this the destiny of Roma Community or it can be changed?

The social determinants of health influence in the health status of each population but in any case most of the health problems related to social conditions can be prevented. Governments have undertaken concrete steps to integrate Roma Community and improve their health status but the strategies should not be built for Roma Community without Roma Community. It is not only needed to offer free health care to Roma people but also to inform them about the right to health access, vaccination, family planning program. There are needed programs that foster the Roma parents to register their children in order they can access free vaccination. As Virchow says we should have a look to social conditions in order to prolong human life. It is our responsibility, not their destiny. 

E. Tresa

Bibliography

1.  Newsletter. World Health Organization; [cited 2015 Mar 9]; Available from: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-determinants/roma-health/newsletter

2.      Rodriguez. NS, Derecho NR. HEALTH AND THE ROMA COMMUNITY, ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION IN EUROPE. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,  Spain [Internet]. Fundación Secretariado Gitano, editor. Madrid; 2009 p. 180. Available from: 

           http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/files/roma_health_en.pdf

3.     Roma Health Report. Health status of the Roma population Data collection in the Member States of the European Union [Internet]. 2014 p. 153. Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/health/social_determinants/docs/2014_roma_health_report_en.pdf

4.     Duka R. The decade of roma inclusion. National Action Plan 2010-2015 [Internet]. Tirana, Albania; 2015. Available from: 

      http://www.al.undp.org/content/dam/albania/docs/The Decade of Roma Inclusion - National Action Plan.pdf