Health-responsibility of all will work to increase preventive protection among the Roma population

NRC Kumanovo through the project “Health-responsibility of all” will work to increase preventive protection among the Roma population

The National Roma Centrum (NRC) Kumanovo started with the realization of the activities from the project “Health-Responsibility of All”, supported by the Open Society Foundation, announced today from the association.The project aims to raise awareness of the importance of prevention in health care among the Roma population, restore Roma trust in health institutions and improve health policies for Roma, whose implementation and quality of health services is reduced as a result of the pandemic.

– The National Roma Centrum (NRC) in Kumanovo has started implementing the activities of the project “Health-Responsibility of All”, supported by the Open Society Foundation, the association announced today.The project aims to raise awareness of the importance of prevention in health care among the Roma population, restore Roma trust in health institutions and improve health policies for Roma, whose implementation and quality of health services is reduced as a result of the pandemic.A healthy state in the country contributes to positive progress in all areas of life.That is the key to all levels of today’s life, said the executive director of NRC, Ashmet Elezovski.

The project, he added, has two target groups, Roma families in Kumanovo and in the country, family members who are health insured, health uninsured, young Roma women – girls, undocumented persons and returnees from abroad.The second target group is the institutions that directly provide health care or are policy makers in the field of health.

The National Roma Centrum cooperates with doctors and medical staff from public health and private institutions and hopes for a successful continuation, an increased number of educated Roma doctors and medics from different levels of medical science.

– The position and health of Roma women are a treasure of Roma families for their sustainability, upbringing, education and positive harmonious family life. For centuries woman has been a symbol of perseverance, justice and her involvement in all levels of life is essential. Her feelings first as a mother, and then as a driver of family survival is a treasure and it will be respected and nurtured through the ongoing activities of the project, said Magdalena Jakimovska, lawyer at NRC in project activities.

Through the NRC project, special emphasis will be placed on encouraging Roma to undergo health examinations and decide to receive vaccines for protection against Covid 19. NRC will inform the citizens of the Roma community about their health rights and ways to exercise them, but also provides legal assistance on how to initiate proceedings against institutions that have violated their rights.- The right to identity and the right to health insurance will be intensified by NRC for all categories of Roma citizens, persons without documents, persons with unstable status, severely socially endangered families, homeless.It will be a serious challenge to fight and ensure the right to use guaranteed health rights under domestic laws and international regulations, said Qani Mustafoski from NRC.

The national level is the second level at which the NRC will operate and will monitor and represent before institutions, in order to improve access to health care for the Roma community.The Association National Roma Centrum (NRC) within its health program which has been successfully implemented for more than 16 years, and is supported by the Open Society Foundation – Macedonia and the Health Program of the Open Society Foundation – Berlin, OSF HRI Berlin, continues its efforts to Improving the health and health rights of Roma in the country, with the support of the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the UN and others.The activities will last until November next year.