This women's day we are gratified to share the experiences of a few of our Indian female doctors who also contribute to our M3 India platform. They have shared their journey as female doctors and also the challenges they have faced in balancing their personal and professional life together.

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Let us read from our superwomen what their experiences have been as a doctor so far.

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Dr Nirmala Dharap 

(DNB in paediatrics, consultant paediatrician at Dharap Children's Clinic in Pune )

Dr Nirmala Dharap say,

• Being born a woman is one of the greatest blessings one is given. A woman can be very smart and capable and have that soft and gentle touch that a man rarely has! 
• A workplace with a woman in charge is usually efficiently run with great attention to detail....and a home is beautiful, warm, and well cared for when a woman is in charge. 
• For a woman, being a doctor is a boon and a challenge! The long course of study, hard work, and long working hours,  together with societal pressure to fulfil the requirements of one's female role all add up!

I was lucky to have parents who never told me to think differently because I was a girl. My career was always given utmost importance, and no stone was left unturned to help me achieve my dreams. There were challenges after marriage, but when one is ready to combine the responsibilities of home and work, the rest of the family takes their cues from that place. 

"I'll do my part, but you have to do your part too," becomes the accepted way of life.

Being very positively interested in running a good home helps everyone get on your side. A woman's empathy and soft touch, the obvious advantages of having a doctor in the family, and the respect from society and relatives, all add up to give a solid stature to the woman doctor. All these things are about being useful to others! 

But, sometimes the issue is about taking care of yourself in addition to being a great doctor, useful resource person and homemaker! That's where a woman sometimes falls short. She gets so swept away with work on various fronts that she doesn't give time for herself.

This is one thing that a woman should never forget! Make sure you are taking good care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. Get enough exercise, sleep, and relaxed fun times with friends and family!

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Dr Laxmi Vasudevan

(MS- Anatomy, MD-Paediatrics, fellowship in genetics, senior genetic consultant at Center for medical genetics, Mumbai)

Dr Laxmi Vasudevan says,

I faced many challenges as a young lady doctor when I tried to establish my practice in 1976 in Guntakkal, a small rural town in Andhra Pradesh, where my husband was posted as a surgeon with Indian Railways hospital. I had my clinical Paediatrics training at Jer Bai Wadia hospital for children, Mumbai. This was an excellent opportunity to practice and treat the rural poor.  

Work experience in rural areas

Malnutrition and infectious diseases formed the main part of my practice. Parents approached a doctor (many were not registered practitioners) often late with their kids in a serious stage whether it was vomiting or diarrhoea or abdominal pain or a tumour.

Malnutrition was mainly due to poverty, intestinal worm infestations, childhood tuberculosis, frequent infections, illiteracy and large family sizes. Another problem unique to this place was a scorpion, snake, dog bites and other types of venomous insect bites.

Word of advice

Along with rural health issues, social issues also need to be addressed.

To cater to the health services there should be a fully functioning District hospital with 24/7 emergency services for trauma and for administering antivenoms and antisera. An MD must supervise both outpatient and inpatient services with at least two junior doctors directly reporting to him.

One way this could be achieved is to post a senior doctor in rotation from a tertiary teaching hospital for two years prior to his retirement in these hospitals who will have both knowledge and experience to deal with all emergency situations.

The two junior doctors could be interns completing their bonds. This way medical staff requirements can be met with no additional recruitments. Rest of staff as per requirements. The hospital should be stocked with all emergency medications at all times and ambulance service to transfer patients to tertiary care hospitals if required. All children should be compulsorily vaccinated for childhood illnesses. 

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Dr Jui Gharekhan

(DOMS Ophthalmologist-gold medalist, Nadiad, Gujarat)

Dr Jui Gharekhan says,

I always have believed in the thought, which now I feel true is being a woman has lots of challenges in life but God has made us only that much tough and bearable to play different roles and to prove that yes, we are strong and good enough to prove ourselves as being a good daughter, student, wife, daughter in law, mother and simultaneously a good professional and finally a grandmother.

Yes sometimes it becomes exhausting maintaining all personal and professional balance but if we are in some difficult situation, God must have kept faith in us to solve it.

Happy women's day to all lovely women around the world! 

Stay independent and stay beautiful. 

Disclaimer- The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of M3 India.