New GP clinic for Roma community

A NEW GP mobile clinic for the Roma Community in Dublin was launched last week at Tallaght Hospital.

The opening of the clinic follows a successful pilot phase of the Safetynet Roma GP Mobile Clinic between September and December last year. Over 100 members of the Roma Community used the service on the grounds of Tallaght Hospital and funding has now been provided by the HSE for another year.

The service, which is a multi-agency initiative between the Tallaght Roma Integration Project, Safetynet and Tallaght Hospital, will be the first of its kind in Ireland for Roma and is described as

“a positive first step towards achieving better health outcomes for the Roma population

?.

The clinic will be held one afternoon a week and will be staffed by a Safetynet GP, a Romanian Interpreter and trained Roma Cultural Mediator.

They will be assisted by volunteers from Fettercairn Community Health Project and South Dublin County Partnership who will engage with local members of the Roma community and encourage their attendance at the clinic.

Deirde Jacob, primary healthcare social worker with local primary care teams in Tallaght explained why the service is going ahead.

“The Safetynet Roma Mobile GP service in its pilot phase welcomed more than 100 members of the Roma community who would previously have had no access to primary medical services,

? she said.

“The Roma have actively engaged both with the GP service in seeking appropriate medical care for themselves and their children and also with the volunteers in gaining an understanding of how to maintain their health.

“As a group with a history of non-engagement with services, the Roma GP service has made significant strides in developing a relationship with this group but also in making the first step towards achieving better health outcomes within primary care services.

“We have also managed to develop a system for facilitating a childhood vaccination program with a local GP practice here in Tallaght to encourage Roma parents of young children to immunize their children.

“We look forward to the challenges ahead for the year, to facilitating better care for members of this community and we are keen to support a primary care initiative that eases some of the pressure from our accident and emergency services.

?

It is hoped that attendance at the Safetynet Roma Mobile GP Clinic will in time result in a reduction in the use of A&E at Tallaght Hospital by the Roma and a reduction in the cost of health care provision.

It’s also seen as a step towards alleviating some of the health inequalities experienced by the Roma population in Ireland who suffer health inequalities such as infant mortality which is 1.4 times higher than the national average.

Life expectancy is also 10 years below the average and the Roma often endure deficient eating habits and nutrition, deficient child vaccination and improper use of medicines.

It is hoped that the new service will help Roma who are some of Europe’s poorest people achieve better health and quality of life.