Taking stock of Roma health policies in Spain: Lessons for health governance

The Roma have considerably poorer health outcomes when compared to non-Roma populations across Europe [1,2]. Studies point to a persistent health gap with Roma experiencing lower vaccination coverage, higher levels of communicable and non-communicable diseases, higher unmet health needs and higher infant mortality rates, while acknowledging definitional and methodological challenges that limit data comparibility and impact the depth of the evidence base [1,3 –8]. In 2005, twelve European countries joined efforts to promote Roma health equity through the Decade of Roma Inclusion – a political commitment to tackle the root causes of poor Roma health by enabling the participation of Roma representatives in health governance [9].

Source: Health Policy - March 8, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: M. Escobar-Ballesta, M. Garc ía-Ramírez, C. De Freitas Source Type: research