Supporting Roma mothers during pregnancy and childbirth is of vital importance to the HSE. Many Roma women do not come forward for health checks early in their pregnancies due to a lack of awareness about the Irish healthcare system.

In 2021, to help marginalised women  (including those from Roma communities) access maternity services, HSE Inclusion Health Social Work positions were introduced on a pilot basis at maternity hospital sites across Dublin, including the Rotunda Hospital, National Maternity Hospital, and the Coombe Hospital. In May 2023, the Rotunda Hospital Inclusion Health team introduced Ireland's first Inclusion Health Midwife.

‘Roma Daja: Supporting Roma Women During and After Pregnancy

Working collaboratively with Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre and the Rotunda Hospital, the HSE produced ‘Roma Daja: Supporting Roma Women During and After Pregnancy.’ A free booklet and online resource, it offers advice for each stage of pregnancy and the first few weeks after birth. These resources help healthcare professionals communicate more effectively with Roma women and are available in English/Romanian, English/Czech, and English/Slovak.

Bianca Tanase, Roma Health Worker at Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, explains that Roma women "face a lot of challenges—including racism and discrimination. Some Roma women will hide their ethnicity because they feel that if they show they are Roma, they will not be treated well. Language and literacy can also prove to be barriers. For some women, when they attend services, they can’t read or write. So, that’s why it’s important to have more pictures as well as words on leaflets and booklets."

The Rotunda Hospital takes a multi-faceted approach to addressing the needs of Roma mothers, while also supporting other women and families from minority ethnic backgrounds. The maternity hospital encourages Roma mothers to access prenatal care by providing information through SMS and voice notes in Romanian. Since implementing Romanian-language SMS and voice notes, attendance for the Blood Glucose Tolerance Test has increased by 57% (12 out of 22 mothers).

Laura Feely, Senior Medical Social Worker at the Rotunda Hospital, explains that HSE Inclusion Health aims to “promote engagement and access to healthcare for those who are marginalised or excluded. So, for example, homeless, migrants, and anyone from an ethnic minority such as the Roma—for people like these, the Inclusion Health Service is trying to promote more engagement.

“Implementing services such as these can really enhance the patient experience. It fosters a sense of trust through their pregnancy journey. As well as working with the patients, we also aim to work closely with the staff in the hospital too. We want to help them and help promote understanding of ways they can make the service more inclusive.”

Carol Guinan, Inclusion Health Midwife, explains that her role was established in May 2023 as the “first time that we had an Inclusion Midwife in the hospital. It’s a brand new position, and the role is to facilitate more engagement with the hospital. We want to make it easier for the women to come into the hospital. Historically, we had quite a large number of Roma women who didn’t come into the hospital until they were literally about to give birth. This was because of language and cultural barriers. But, of course, it presented dangers as we didn’t know anything of their history or any previous complaints they may have had.

“My role, therefore, is to engage the women at an early stage and provide a culturally appropriate service for Roma mums. We want them to come in and make their appointments more accessible. I can get the lady’s details, I can contact her through WhatsApp and whatever appropriate communication systems, and I can welcome her to the Rotunda. I will do it in English or Romanian. And, this way, I can establish and maintain that contact, and we can message as appropriate. She has my number and can contact me.”

Carol provides essential antenatal care and works closely with Laura to help Roma mothers register their baby's birth and ensure they can access all appropriate wraparound services. They also work with local services in the area, including the Capuchin Centre, Cairde, and Pavee Point.

Carmen Nae, a Cairde Roma operator with the National Roma Infoline, describes her experience at the Rotunda Hospital for the births of three of her children in Ireland: “I experienced first-hand the exceptional care provided by the hospital. I am delighted to recommend this wonderful service to other women, confident they will receive the same excellent care and support that I did."

Bianca concludes that this approach “shows Roma women that the HSE is taking our needs into account. This is important, as not all Roma women know about the services or feel the services are not for them and may be afraid of discrimination and racism.”

Watch those involved in supporting marginalised women during pregnancy outline the services on YouTube