Better deal from doctors sought

Press, 20 September 1982, Page 12

Better deal from doctors sought

Many women feel powerless in hospitals and at the hands of doctors, and some have lost faith in the medical profession, according to the New Zealand Women's Health Network. “Women are often classed as neurotic and unreliable by doctors. They can be patronising or rude, and refuse to tell women about their illnesses and explain them fully,” the group says in a written statement.

Because it believes so many women are unhappy with the medical profession, it has organised, a conference in Auckland on September 17, 18, and 19. It aims to look at health from the consumer’s point of view. “We are aware that the medical schools and textbooks are mainly run and written by men who have never experienced the feel of birth, menstruation, and menopause — all natural

functioning which can sometimes be treated as an illness.” the organisers say. "Some women have tipped the librium down the 100 and have gone instead to a herbalist or a chiropractor. But most New Zealand women will stick with the conventional. medical system. We want them to get. a better deal in future,” they say. The conference begins with a professional symposium. open to all interested

persons, at the Hotel Iritercontinental in Auckland. The next day, workshops will be held at the North Shore Teachers Training College, and these are open only to women. Several Christchurch women will be attending the conference. They include re-,, presentatives from the,s Patients’ Rights Group, and The Health Alternatives for Women, and an authority on pre-menstrual tension.