Christine Boyd
Chbst29@aol.com

Poverty and Healthcare in the Context of Romanian Postsocialism

This is my fifth year as an Anthropology Ph.D. student at American University. I received my BA in Anthropology from University of Pittsburgh in 2001 and my MA in Public Anthropology from AU last May.

I recently completed my dissertation fieldwork in Cluj Napoca, Romania on access to healthcare issues for Roma communities. I am interested in how the market transition and changing legislation interact in postsocialist societies and how this affects access to social services for ethnically marginalized communities. Romania is undergoing rapid economic and legislative reforms as it prepares for accession to the European Union in January 2007. While assistance programs are in place to ease the transition, many people are unable to reap the benefits of these programs and are unable to compete in the new capitalist society. Consequently, a great disparity exists in gaining access to education, employment, and social services, especially adequate healthcare. One of the biggest barriers, particularly for Roma, is lack of documentation. Romania has the largest Roma population in the world (estimated 1.5-2.5 million) and of this number, less than half have proper identification or other legal documentation. During the last year I started the Roma Documentation Project (RDP), whereby my assistant and I aided families in obtaining birth certificates and identification so that they can participate in the system to which they have a right. Currently I am sharing the results of my research and RDP cases with ProRoma, an NGO in Romania. We are collaborating to improve methods of raising awareness of Roma issues and to increase social participation through documentation, education, and health initiatives.