A primary healthcare training programme for Travellers has been launched to improve the health of the Traveller population by increasing and encouraging access to health services in the Western Health Board region.
The programme, which has been set up by the health board and the Galway Traveller Support Group, will provide training for Traveller women to become community healthcare workers for Travellers. Traveller men live on average 10 years less than settled men while Traveller women live about 12 years less than their settled peers. Infant mortality rates are three times higher for the Travelling community than the national rate.
Sixteen Traveller women from Galway city are participating in the programme which will run over five years on a part-time basis. So far they have covered areas such as personal group development, community development, primary healthcare, promotion of positive health and well-being and an analysis of current situation in relation to Traveller health.
Project co-ordinator with the Galway Traveller Support Group Ms Margaret O'Riada said it was essential that Traveller health issues be given a priority on partnership agendas.
"The Galway Traveller Support Group's experience to date of the partnership with the Western Health Board has been one of openness and a strong commitment to achieving the objectives of the primary healthcare programmes," she said. "It gives me hope for the future and I would envisage that this model could be translated and adapted to suit different work areas with other statutory agencies."
Ms Mary Syron from the Traveller health unit of the Western Health Board said the Traveller women she worked with valued the training being given to them, which took into account the specific needs of adult learners and they brought a wealth of knowledge from their own life experiences to the programme.
The training programme is committed to combating racism, promoting equality and developing healthcare initiatives in a manner appropriate to the Travelling community.
It aims to provide opportunities for Travellers to become involved in the planning, implementation and evaluation of healthcare programmes and to address the inequalities which currently exist in healthcare provision for Travellers.
The model used by the health board is based on the concept developed by Pavee Point in partnership with the Eastern Regional Health Authority.
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