14.11.2011Center Amalipe participated in the 4th European Public Health Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark
Center Amalipe participated in the 4th European Public Health Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, 10-12th of November at The Bella Center. The conference is annually organized by EUPHA (European Public Health Association). EUPHA is an international, multidisciplinary, scientific organisation, bringing together around 12 000 public health experts for professional exchange and collaboration throughout Europe. It encourages a multidisciplinary approach to public health.
Two representatives of Center Amalipe participated in the conference – its Chairman Deyan Kolev and Momchil Baev – Coordinator.
Amalipe together with Erin Howe a Program Officer on Accountability and Monitoring in Health Initiative (AMHI) in Public Health Program of Open Society Foundations, New York, USA, Prof. Abhijit Das from Centre for Health and Social Justice, India and Clinical assistant professor at University of Washington, Seattle, USA presented the Program “Community Monitoring for Health Care Services in Roma Community: Strengthening Community Mobilization and Advocacy”. The project aims at introducing, testing and assessing model for community monitoring of the health care services in Roma community in Bulgaria based on the method of social audit in order to strengthen bottom up advocacy for Roma health integration and to improve the health status of Roma.
Mr. Kolev presented the main objectives of the Program which aims to introduce community monitoring of the health care services in Roma community inBulgaria in order to strengthen bottom up advocacy for improving the health status of Roma community. From one side, community monitoring will enable local Roma communities to engage in policy and governance processes at the local level, improve health service delivery and improve health outcomes in the long run. From the other side, it will provide evidences for national level advocacy for fostering the policy of Roma health care integration.
Mr. Kolev briefed the audience on the first community inquiry in the pilot communities that Center Amalipe held -following the methodology of Prof. Das the first inquiry took place in July, 2011. The community moderators and volunteers carried out the inquiry where 515 persons were interviewed with focus groups of women, children and men were organized. The results were summarized within a special report. He further presented the results from the survey about stereotypes against Roma among health workers in Bulgaria and Romania, conducted within the project "To Touch the untouchable" financed by the European Commission, DG Justice.
The advocacy activities was another of the main points that Mr. Kolev spoke of. Following the inquiry results Center Amalipe organized advocacy activities before the local institutions and service providers. They included meeting with the Regional Healthcare Inspectorate, meeting with the Regional Health Insurance Office and National Conference attended by the Minister of EU Funds Tomislav Donchev.
The chairman of Center Amalipe also participated in another discussion session as part of the 4th European Public Health Conference. The topic was “The EU funds and the Roma integration”. Participants of the round table were also Andor Urmos from DG Regio and Richard Price from DG SANCO of the European Commission. Mr. Kolev shared opinion and expertise in the problematic area of how the structural funds can be adjusted to the needs of the state policy towards Roma integration and innovative multispectral approaches to the issue. He explained that in 2006 and 2007 Amalipe led advocacy campaign of Roma NGOs for incorporating Roma integration issues in the operational programs and owing to this now in Human Resources Development OP in Bulgaria Roma targeted calls are announced. For the next planning period he insisted that European Commission should include the implementation of National Roma Integration Strategy as part of the so-called “conditionalities” before the states in order to obtain EU funds. In addition ESF Regulations should include defined share for integrated actions in marginalized communities – as it was that through Art. 7 of ERDF Regulations.
Answering to these suggestions Mr. Urmos agreed that Roma integration should be part of conditionalities. “The new Regulations for the next period are proposed by the European Commission but the Council has the final decision. There will be a lot of negotiations and compromises. That is why Roma civil society should be very active in insisting its requirements!”, stressed Andor Urmos.
