BUCHAREST—Responding to a lack of Roma in medical professions, the Roma Education Fund (REF) and the Open Society Institute (OSI) today announced a scholarship program for Roma students to pursue medical and pharmaceutical studies. The Roma Health Scholarship Program is being launched as part of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015, and is an unprecedented undertaking in Central and Eastern Europe.

The funds for the scholarship program come from OSI and will support up to 60 Roma students who are currently pursuing or would like to pursue Medical Education. The scholarship program will initially only be open to students in Romania in 2008, but will expand to other Central and Eastern European countries in 2009. Scholarships include degree programs for Medical Nurses and Medical Doctors at accredited vocational schools and universities.

The selection of the candidates will be based on their academic merits and professional motivation as well as on their leadership skills.

In addition to tuition scholarships, the Roma Health Scholarship Program will provide selected students with supplementary support in areas such as foreign language tutoring and participation in professional conferences. A Tutoring and Mentoring Program will be offered throughout the academic year in cooperation with the Association of Resident Physicians of Romania. Scholarship participants will be required to attend OSI advocacy trainings designed to foster the Scholars’ personal and advocacy skills and enable them to raise awareness of the right of Roma to health care services. The first such training is the Advocacy Camp scheduled for fall 2008.

The scholarship application package is available online. Completed applications must be sent in hard copy to the following address: Resource Centre for Roma Communities (CRCR), 21 T ebei Str., 400305 Cluj Napoca, Romania before June 30, 2008 (postmarked on the envelope).

For more detailed information about the Roma Health Scholarship Program, contact Robert Matei, Assistant Program Coordinator, Resource Centre for Roma Communities (CRCR) at rmatei@romacenter.ro.