THE Midland Health Board has committed itself to becoming more responsive to women patients after a survey raised questions about the attitude of staff to female patients and their problems.
The report described as "disturbing but not altogether surprising" by the board's director of public health, Dr Patrick Doorley - also found that 40 per cent of women felt family planning services in their area were inadequate.
The report recommended that health services be provided by staff who have "a positive attitude to women and a sympathetic approach to women's problems". Conditions such as pregnancy, menstruation and the menopause should be treated as normal life events and not considered as illnesses, it has stated.
Almost 40 per cent of settled women surveyed and 90 per cent of traveller women did not realise at what time in their cycle they were most likely to get pregnant. The women ranged in age from 18 to 45.
"Knowledge of fertility, particularly amongst traveller women is poor and the women themselves felt a need for more education," explained Dr Doorley. "But the uptake of health services generally amongst travellers is poor, and we will be meeting with traveller groups to find the best way to improve that situation".
Dr Doorley said women's attitudes to the family planning services available to them was a cause of great concern. In a study, conducted by the Lansdowne Market Research Company, 28 per cent of women said family planning services were very poor: 11 per cent said they were poor. One in four said they could not get the services they required locally.
Since the survey, the health board has published a series of articles on women's health in local papers. Agreement has also been reached with the Well Woman Centre to provide services to medical card holders at its new Athlone centre. The Midland Health Board will contribute £30,000 towards the set up costs of the centre and will pay £40,000 annually towards services for medical card holders.