Health and gender intersection:

1. Health and gender intersection: Romany women health in the context of multiple discrimination and exclusion

2. Romany women health in the context of multiple discrimination and exclusion • 99% of the Roma population in Macedonia is social aid receivers and their monthly earnings come up to 30 euros a month for a 5 member family. • The number of illiterate Roma is very high with an accent on the women. • Up to 50 % of the illiterate Roma population belongs to women • Generally the Roma population lives in urbanized environments most commonly in ghettos. This kind of life and surroundings directly denies the approach to information and exclusion from the social life.

3. Health and gender intersection: Romany women health in the context of multiple discrimination and exclusion • Although the birth rate with the Roma is two times higher than the birth rate of the entire population, the mortality rate is also higher than with the entire population statistically speaking • Also the adult Roma in Macedonia have a lower life term than the non Roma, with a sharp fall of the participation of the Roma in the total population older than 40 years. • The lower life term of the Roma comes from the poor living conditions, the lack of medical assistance and low self consciences for medical protection. • In the same line as the short life term, the Roma are inflicted by infective and chronic diseases asasthma, bronchitis, anemia, hepatitis,high blood pressure, various kinds of neuroses ect

4. Health and gender intersection: Romany women health in the context of multiple discrimination and exclusion • The early pregnancy is also a very common reason for the health issues • A small number of Roma women go to regular gynecological exams • In the Roma ghettos they are still women who deliver their babies at home and because of this many of these children are not being registered. • 50%of the Roma kids doesn't have proper vaccination

5. Health and gender intersection: Romany women health in the context of multiple discrimination and exclusion • The health department is being privatized and so the number of the citizens who ask for medical aid has considerably fallen down for 99%. The citizens who do not have money do not have the opportunity to pay the financial participation for medical treatment and medications and the Roma are the group who suffer most than the other • One of the reason is that lots of Roma women doesn't have health insurance • Lots of them doesn’t have any kind of documentation • Basically they are always discriminate and they are exclude because of their look and the prejudices

6. Health and gender intersection: Romany women health in the context of multiple discrimination and exclusion Recommendations Pay special attention to the health of women and girls by: • Promoting and/or developing programmes aimed at providing information on health care (including nutrition, neonatal care and domestic violence, etc.); • Improving access to gynaecological health care, including prenatal, delivery and postnatal health care services, through the provision of information and training • Negotiate the governments in the frame of Decade strategies and action planes to make available for Roma free medicines and examens