Less than 5 Pct Indian Women Seek Medicine as a Career

The least amount of time taken by doctors to settle into the profession is estimated to be 10 years. Then there is one year of service in rural parts of the country which adds to the exhaustion in the dream of becoming a doctor. All this has created depreciation in the number of women applying for the course as told to TOI by Dr Chikkananjappa, President and Karnataka Medical Council.

Adding to the woes is the insufficient salary that is paid to the doctors when posted to the rural regions. The salaries paid has not only despaired the women but has caused serious concerns among the men who feel the hurt of the career decisions they have made. With the declining rate of women applying for medicine there is an ongoing concern with the established system of medicine and its practice.

 After the first women Anandi Gopal Joshi, pioneered the field of medicine in 1886, women never stopped themselves from acquiring their position in it. It seemed more like a challenging field to be conquered. And once a male dominated field has become a playground for women too, who take equal responsibility and give their best care and support to their patients.

Will this situation decrease the number of doctors in the country is hard to say. However the need and the value of a doctor can never diminish in the world. As said by Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician “Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity.” Medicine and humanity has been close relatives through which medicine prospered but for this alone isn’t enough to inspire the young aspiring doctors, a change is required in the system to make it aspiring once again.