Press release, 13/06/2012

Since June, a survey is conducted by Médecins du Monde and the Flemish association in Brussels "Le Foyer" on "immunization coverage and access to healthcare for Roma”, especially with Roma families living in extremely poor sanitary and administrative conditions and, mainly in Brussels.

If it seems entirely appropriate and even urgent to investigate the health of homeless families in Brussels and their access to care, this study raises questions - at the bottom - and the way it is conducted is revolting.

This is an extremely thorough investigation (9 pages of questions) that address in a targeted way - not the homeless, nor the undocumented, nor those without resources and persons without sufficient language knowledge- all objective criteria that make access to health care more difficult- but to Roma!

The highly intrusive questions about the intimate dimensions of people (men, women and children) is outrageous. While the stated objective is "to see the status of vaccination of people and their access to health care to better understand their health situation," the survey is only one page on the issue of access to care. On the contrary, "the sexual and reproductive health" (sic) has more than two pages !

Is this survey hiding a birth limitation program in the Roma community?

Anyway, we are not far from the period preceding all sterilization programs which the community was itself the victim into the seventies in Western Europe.

Financial and human resources will be deployed to investigate the health of families whose state of health worsens very fast without any provision for actual healthcare. And all this while news announce the expulsion of families living now at the Gare du Nord. It's shocking!

Health conditions of certain Roma families are interpellating. Yes. But like those of most of the homeless or people living in extreme poverty. The first step to address is to enable access to primary care for all persons living in Belgium regardless of its resources or its administrative status, possibly by offering the services of an interpreter to improve efficiency.

Care system in Belgium is recognized as efficient. There are programs available for preventive and curative objectives (hospitals and clinics, childcare services, vaccination program, ...) as well as services for health education available to everyone. We want to facilitate access, including language translation, but without additional stigma and respecting medical ethics. A so intrusive investigation focused on our community is not only useless but totally unacceptable and unrespectfull !

Les Filles du Vent

Congrès national Gitan