Refugees' health care in spotlight

Health experts and refugee groups are to meet in Galway today to discuss the best way to ensure ethnic minorities get the health care they need.

The conference, organised by the Health Service Executive, NUI Galway and the Galway Refugee Support Group, is designed to get immigrants more involved in care.

And officials hope it will ensure inequalities between immigrants and Irish people are kept to a minimum by developing culturally appropriate health services.

The HSE also wants to see non-nationals participate more in primary care services and that they should have a voice in the shaping of health care as they are experts of their own experiences.

The conference, ’Participation of Ethnic Minorities in the Design, Planning and Delivery of Primary Care Services,’ is organised by the HSE West.