Ms Sharon Mpofu:

With regard to integrating, I believe there is really a vast gap in the sense that the IPO has a certain structure whereby if a person coming from a different country needs an interpreter, he or she can get one, whereas it is different with the GPs and healthcare. Of late, at the end of last year, the University of Limerick started a course as a pilot project in which it was training medical interpreters in medical communication and interpreting in the healthcare system. I was one of the students who took up that course. After that, in the follow-up, perhaps a person could be aligned or associated with a certain GP network in order that if the GPs know they need certain interpreters, they can find them at a certain place and time. There is a real difference in cultural competency. We come from different cultural places. For example, perhaps a female cannot converse with a male, or a male cannot converse with a female and they will not be open when it comes to medical issues because they are very sensitive issues, whereas other people may be free to do that. For us coming from the international protection background, we are also on the receiving end of some of the challenges that have been facing the system. It becomes quite a health challenge for people who do not have English as a second language to communicate. As Dr. O'Dalaigh has just said, perhaps a minor needs medical attention but she does not know where to go. Especially in emergency accommodation centres, there is no information at all. In direct provision accommodation there is information but in emergency accommodation there is nothing, unless one is told by somebody who has been there and has lived experience and says "You need to go from point A to point B."