System of interventions for gender-specific medicine in multicultural and multi-religious societies
Project Title: System of interventions for gender-specific medicine in multicultural and multi-religious societies
Duration of the project: 2019-2021
Project Summary
With the law of 11 January 2018 (Law 3/2018), gender medicine has legally entered into the activities of the National Health System, and the art. 3 of the law, assigned to Center for Gender-Specific Medicine of Italian National Institute of Health the role of promotion and organization of a plan aimed at Gender Medicine diffusion, with the aim of overcoming health inequalities resulting from a poor gender-specific approach to medicine, in many cases absent.
The purpose of this Project is to intervene on the migrant communities present on the national territory that currently represent an important part of the population, about 5,000,000 people, coming from over 200 different countries and belonging to different ethnic groups and religions. The gender differences due to the interaction between religion and culture translate into gender inequalities also in health sector with new and unknown aspects and characteristics to our health system.
The activity promoted by the project is part of the promotion of gender medicine (foreseen by the Law), throughout the national territory, in order to guarantee, in the fight against inequalities, access to the services of the National Health System (NHS) to every individual, regardless of gender, ethnicity and religious faith.
To this end, it is envisaged to: i) alphabetize / inform individual communities of emigrants about the services provided by the NHS to facilitate access, identifying and using adequate means of dissemination, ii) institute appropriate training courses for SSN operators and associations involved in reception, promoting training in ASLs and in health facilities, including the presence of qualified and specialized health teams assigned to answer to the specific needs of the immigrant population.
The project is the result of the collaboration between ISS and the Interreligious Table of Rome, a cultural association that has been operating for 30 years in the Rome and Lazio area for the promotion of the integration of resident foreign citizens belonging to religious beliefs different from that Catholic (majority religion in Italy).
The project foresees a first pilot intervention in the Lazio region, in the provinces of Rome, Viterbo and Latina, with the actual collaboration of the ASLs and the voluntary associations (AVO and CESV) operating in the corresponding territories.
Main Topic
Overcoming barriers, due to gender affiliation, influenced by the religion and culture of migrant communities in Italy, which do not allow access and do not allow the use of SSN services.
Objective
Ensure equality in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment for each individual regardless of religious beliefs, cultural beliefs and gender differences.
Type of study
Research, Intervetion.
Expected results
Optimizing relations between the immigrant population and the national health system, guaranteeing the overcoming of cultural obstacles that determine gender inequalities.
Responsible of the project: Claudio Giovannini (claudio.giovannini@iss.it), Mario Patrizio (mario.patrizio@iss.it)
Department/Center: Center for Gender-Specific Medicine