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Press release

Minister Burke announces initiatives to improve Traveller and Roma health as part of national strategy

The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Colm Burke TD has announced the development of a Roma Health Action Plan.

The initiative is among seven health actions contained in the new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2024-2028, launched this week by Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman.

The initiatives aim to address the social determinants of Traveller and Roma health through tailored and affirmative measures to promote health and reduce inequalities. They also complement work already underway on the implementation of the Traveller Health Action Plan.

Health initiatives under the strategy include the development of a Roma Health Action Plan, delivery of the National Traveller Mental Health Implementation Plan and a funding call in conjunction with the Slaintecare Healthy Communities Programme to allocate €710,000 to address the social determinants of health for Travellers. Current initiatives will be reviewed and evaluated in order to inform the development of future projects to support Traveller and Roma communities.

Minister Burke, said:

“Through my work as a public representative I have become very familiar with the unique challenges faced by Traveller and Roma communities that make it difficult to access healthcare. We must listen and respond to these communities by developing targeted, tailored healthcare supports that appropriately address their needs, removing barriers to healthcare and supporting improved physical and mental health and wellbeing.

“Under the new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy, we will develop a Roma Health Action Plan that will specifically address needs in relation to health literacy, mental health, medical card and pregnancy supports.

“The delivery of the National Traveller Mental Health Implementation Plan is another crucial commitment in this strategy, bolstered by the announcement of additional funding of approximately €470,000 to support Traveller mental health by my colleague Minister Mary Butler T.D. in 2024.

“We will also work to reach these communities through the wonderful infrastructure of the Slaintecare Healthy Communities programme. Through this network, we will be allocating €710,000 in funding to projects that will effectively address the social determinants of health for these groups.

“While there is much work to be done to ensure that our underserved communities get equity of access to healthcare, I am confident that the initiatives we’re announcing today will help to support improved population health.”

Notes to editor:

  • the new National Roma and Traveller Inclusion Strategy 2024-2028 is available Item was unpublished or removed
  • to address the barriers to accessing healthcare services for Travellers and Roma, the Department of Health is developing an Inclusion Health Framework, which will support the need to change how healthcare services are delivered. University College Cork is undertaking a consultation process for this Framework.
  • the National Traveller Health Action Plan, launched in 2022, is a key vehicle for improving Traveller health. In 2023, €1.3 million was allocated for the implementation of the plan. Implementation is being led by the Health Service Executive and currently 30 of the 45 actions are progressing on target.