Ms Missie Collins:

I thank the committee for inviting me this morning. It is a great honour. I must start at the very beginning, when the primary healthcare project started. I was one of the people who approached the health board back in the 1990s. It was 1992, I believe. There were about 14 people sitting at the table. When I said that we needed primary healthcare for Travellers, I was told that it would not work. When I asked why, I was told that it would mean Travellers going out, talking to Travellers and moreover, Travellers are not educated, cannot drive and cannot do this, that and the other. I said that our need was greater than ever. We did not win that day but when I was coming away from the table, I said that I would be back. Back I went to a member of staff. He said, "You're not giving up Missie, are you?" and I said no, that I was not giving up. He agreed to a pilot for nine months. I asked if he could do a little more than that and he asked me what I meant. I asked him to come to the steering group meetings so that he would know how the project was going and he did.

In the beginning we visited 85 families. Now we are visiting 300 families. We devised our own questionnaire, went through it with them and found out all of their needs. Then we took that back to Pavee Point and to the health providers and services there. At that time, three needs came out of the process, namely, a well woman clinic for our women, a hearing test for the children and a dental service. One of the aims of the project is to try to close the gaps in the health service. That went on and we got all of the answers there and it went very well.

We were able to take some of our women over to the Well Woman where some of them with breast cancer were caught in time. We saved the lives of some of our women. Some of them are living in the programme today.

As part of the programme, we mapped out the provisions for children out on the sites, who would then go for their hearing and other tests. Those of us involved in this programme attended meetings with the top officials in the Department of Health and Children. I thought it was great for me to be able to sit at meetings with the higher up bodies who need to give the Travellers support. We lobbied for a health strategy for Travellers and it took many hours over a nine year period of sitting round the table at meetings in the Department of Health and Children. There were 27 recommendations in the health strategy for Travellers, one of which was for an All Ireland Traveller Health Study to be carried out by Travellers for Travellers from one end of Ireland to the other. I have to say that is the greatest piece of work we did. We got all the information, and one thing that we counted as a good outcome, is when the health providers and services were upfront and stated that they did discriminate against Travellers. The former Minister for Health and Children, Ms Mary Harney, was the then Minister when I launched the All Ireland Traveller Health Study. I held that report over my head and I was proud to do so. I believed that the recommendations of that report would be implemented but I was very disappointed that it did not happen. I always say to myself: "Where is that All Ireland Traveller Health Study report now? What shelf is it on in the Department of Health?"

The report compiled the statistics on the life expectancy of Travellers, and I know at first hand about life expectancy because I lost my husband when he was a young man. I have lost brothers and sisters when they were young people. There is nobody who can tell me about life expectancy better than what I know from my experience. Things will have to change. Travellers' health is at crisis point. We want a commitment on services for Travellers. Since 1994 I have been chasing Ministers for Health and I have met them. I gave a former Minister, Mary Harney a fright when I followed her out. The Minister, Deputy Simon Harris is a very nice man and he promised me that the Traveller Accommodation Programme, TAP, meetings would come under the Department of Health. Who is blocking this happening? Is it the Department of Health that is blocking it? I get angry and I have to say what is on my mind. I want that meeting to happen again. We should be sitting at that table.

The Traveller primary care workers only work for 12 hours a week, yet some of our women have lost their medical cards because their income was a couple of euros above the limit. Seeing that Travellers have very poor health, all Travellers should be entitled to hold their medical cards. If there are full-time jobs for younger Traveller women, they should get them because the primary health care projects are the greatest thing that ever happened for Travellers.

I do not think there is much more for me to say because others have said it, but I repeat that I would like medical cards to be issued to young Travellers. Let me add that the Minister of State is accompanied by officials from many agencies, who all have a role to play in improving Travellers' health.

There is a broader picture to it. The determinants of health are discrimination, bad living conditions, unemployment and education. These are the four that come up. I know that from visiting the sites, seeing young mothers and old people. We only have a fistful of old people – seven - over the age of 80. I live in group housing and seven young men out of the 50 houses have died. We have hardly any men left. It has to change for us and change fast. When I meet a Minister or someone from one of the bodies, there is no use in him promising me to try to change it. It has to happen for us.