La Strada Documentation Center

Left Out: Roma and Access to Health Care in Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Public Health Fact Sheet.

Document number
1300
Date
2007
Title
Left Out: Roma and Access to Health Care in Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Public Health Fact Sheet.
Author/publisher
Open Society Institute, Public Health Program, Roma Health Project
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Media/News,
Keywords
Root causes, Poverty, HIV/AIDS, Racism, Discrimination
Summary
Produced by OSI’s Roma Health Project, this fact sheet, entitled "Left Out: Roma and Access to Health Care in Eastern and South Eastern Europe," outlines the main barriers for Roma in accessing appropriate and quality health care services. "Left Out" formulates recommendations to governments, civil society members, donors, researchers, and journalists on necessary steps to overcome these barriers: "For the millions of Roma living in Central and Eastern Europe1 and South Eastern Europe, persistent discrimination and marginalization are a daily reality that results in poorer health for individuals and communities. Roma make up the largest ethnic minority in these countries with an overall population estimated at 5 to 6 million people. Available data consistently shows higher rates of illness and mortality among Roma than in majority populations.Access to health care is only one factor shaping overall health, but it is critical to increasing social inclusion of Roma and ensuring equal opportunities for all."
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