‘Need appropriate media representation for medicos’

Ahead of Women’s Day, female doctors talk about the good and challenging parts of their job

Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Basavanagudi, has 20 women doctors in its oncology department from the total strength of approximately 100 doctors.

“Medicine is one of those fields where women have always been at equal length as men, especially in oncology. It is great to have so many talented women around,” Dr Rekha Kumar, a pathologist in the department, talks to Metrolife ahead of International Women’s Day.

Having role models is important to inspire women to think and aspire big. “When I entered the field of medicine, there was a popular woman oncologist who I looked up to. Having role models around definitely helps,” says Dr Sandhya Appachu, a medical oncologist.

Oncology is a challenging profession and Dr Rekha hopes her work is able to inspire more young women to join it and break the stereotypes.

While the change is happening and it is heartening, gender-related challenges remain. “As women, our work does not end at the hospital. We have a plethora of tasks to do at home once we get back and these need as much of our energy. Women are usually the primary caregivers at home while men often do not have this added pressure (sic),” she explains.

This just doesn’t apply to doctors but also patients, says Dr Sandhya. “After or during the appointments, female patients are often caught wondering who will pick their kids up or when they will be able to make time for it,” she says.

Another challenge, Dr Rekha says, is the lack of appropriate media representation.

“There are lots of misconceptions about the field of medicine, especially among the younger generation, from what they see in movies and shows. We can eliminate these misconceptions by letting youngsters to shadow the medical professionals and see first-hand the work they do. This practice is not very prevalent in India,” she explains.