Gender imbalance is not new in many professional areas and medicine is no exception. But two medical specialties that have long dominated sex – men in orthopedics and women in obstetrics and gynecology (OB -GYN) – in Tamil Nadu slowly see the blur of gender lines.
The numbers may be small, but a handful of doctors violate the predominant gender stereotypes, with more women in a state in a state in the state in the State of State, and more men entered the Ob-Gyn. Although some challenges and differences remain, some of them consider it a step in the right direction.
For S. Abirami, the last year of the postgraduate studio Orthopedics and Traumatology, Madras Medical College (MMC), it was love for an object that made her choose. “It’s challenging, but I asked myself, why didn’t it? Many of my friends also liked orthopedics as an object, but it didn’t follow because she didn’t have many customers. But things look better than before.
In a man dominated by a man, it is important to be courageous enough to communicate and voice, believes. “Neither one day I felt that it was treated differently in my department. I have the same space and opportunities here,” he adds.
Another orthopedic woman who demanded anonymity adds: “It’s not an easy way. We must be strong about the choice we do. Of course there is a gender distortion and we have a long way because women are now in orthopedics.
There were people who said different things, saying, adding, “Some told me to stop the course, and things like” we never had female doctors around “,” we don’t know how to treat women “. Everything is in the mind; People are not used to having female doctors in orthopedics. ”
“Yes, there is a social stigma,” says Dr. Abirate and added, “Some people asked me if I had the power to handle orthopedic tools. Some questions have been thinking in the past if I should choose another specialty but I have zero regrets. It carries heavy tools and implants.
One of the concerns for women in orthopedics is exposure to radiation. “It is worrying. We wear lead aprons, but we must be careful. We must plan our marriage and pregnancy, because there are potential risks of radiation and harmful effects on the fetus during pregnancy,” he adds.
Stereotypes must still be broken in TN, ArvinDh Santhosh, Associate Professor, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MMC, emphasizes. “My mom is a gynecology. It was definitely a factor that influenced me. He spoke to me every day and which increased curiosity in me. I knew it was a stressful specialty,” he said.
During the internship, he found that there were more for Ob-Gyn, which remains unexplored. “Mostly it was limited to supplies, imperial sections and hysterctomy. When I finally decided to chase ob-gyn, there were various reactions. Some encouraged me, but some of them questioned my decision. Cities like Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad have a high number of male doctors, unlike Chennai. Do patients prefer a woman Ob-Gyn? Dr. Santhosh says: “In my experience, very few women have asked women for a woman.
One of the problems faced by male Ob-Gyns is that private hospitals prefer women doctors, and so the initial phase of practice is delayed, emphasizes Dr. Santhosh.
Stint with Ob-Gyn during the internship was an immediate move for Ajay Mukherjee, the last year of PG. “I decided on a specialty without thinking about it,” he adds. Being the only male PG in class 20, faces any problems with his team, but ensures that he is very careful about his patients. “The patient’s burden is huge. I will take care of how I communicate with my patients. I ensure that a doctor or a nurse is when she examines the patient. In my experience, no woman has yet been treated to treat me,” she says.
Sooraj, who has completed the Ob-Gyn this year, emphasizes: “One of the questions I have faced is” how do you understand the specialty when you do not have a body “? Unfortunately, gender distortion and discrimination and discrimination are from hospitals and colleagues and never outside. ”
They believe that every branch of medicine will work well when there are the same number of men and women. “Men dominate many branches, while Ob-Gyn is mainly a team of all women. They are slowly changing because of the changing perception of men’s equality, real enjoyment for specialties and views of childbirth and parenthood as the same responsibility,” he adds.
Everyone wants to specialize in Ob-Gyn. As Dr. Santhosh, “an area like endometrial surgery, is not as advanced as we want to be in Chennai and there are very few doctors in this area. More experts in Gynae and endometrial surgery should be brought to government hospitals.”
Published – June 7, 2025 20:22 IS IS
