The Athlone branch of the Well Woman Centre is to close because of the opposition of local GPs, according to the organisation's chief executive, Ms Ann Broekhoven. She claimed that the doctors in the town were "making it impossible for the centre to recruit doctors to operate clinics", resulting in losses of £30,000. However, the Irish Medical Organisation has dismissed the claims, saying that the Well Woman was "looking for someone to blame" because of the commercial failure of the venture. "I find this statement from the Well Woman Centre extraordinary," said Mr Conal Devine, the IMO's industrial relations director. "The Athlone centre was set up with funding from the Midland Health Board. We have been seeking to have equivalent funding made available to GPs to support the women's health services which they provide." He said there had been a "lack of progress" in this area, with a "lot of dissatisfaction" among GPs in Athlone.
"The Well Woman Centre was set up in competition to these GPs and was funded by the Exchequer. You cannot now blame the GPs for its closure," Mr Devine told The Irish Times.
The centre opened in April 1996 as a joint initiative with the Well Woman organisation and the Midland Health Board. Ms Broekhoven said the partnership was to enable to services of the centre to be made available to medical card holders free of charge. They had more than 1,000 patients registered, she said.
Ms Broekhoven said they would now be forced to rationalise some of the Well Woman's other services as a result of the losses of £30,000. The five employees at the centre were to receive one month's notice this morning. "It has affected us badly and it will be a big loss to the area. There will have to be rationalisations at the rest of our clinics," she said.
The chief executive of the Midland Health Board, Mr Denis Doherty, said the board had been glad to become involved to provide a choice for women in the area. Market research done at the time indicated there was a need for such a service in the town.
"It is a pity that it has not succeeded since that choice will now been reduced. Reservations have been expressed by the GPs, who felt there was no need for the centre, to the board. They resented the costs the board incurred in the collaboration with the centre," said Mr Doherty.
The Labour Party spokesman on health, Mr Derek McDowell, called last night on the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, to fund the "public interest" elements of the Well Woman Centre's activities. "This is a pioneering organisation doing very good work. The Minister should now allocate funding for their helpline and educational services," he said.