Whom to blame ?

 After my clinical posting had started, slowly I got to visit every department. I noticed there were almost around no female surgeons and only one female general physician but in other departments there were equal number of both male and female doctors. 

I was confused why there are no any female surgeons, since then I started to observe. It’s not because surgery is so tough for female instead I observed females are equally capable or sometimes more than male. Me, being a medical student I didn’t feel my male friends are smarter or more hard working than us female. Then why no female surgeons in our hospital? This question  made me really curious to know the reason.

But, today I think I got my answer to this question. Me along with my group was posted to surgery department. We were about 6 boys and 8 girls. See, the majority was female. We were taking history of a male patient with hydrocele. After history we were asked to do examination of  the patient but the patient denied. Patient didn’t want the female students examining him. He said that he wouldn’t give consent to examine hydrocele from female doctor. I understand it’s his decision. We can’t examine patients without their consent and I also understand he wants his privacy. I don’t want to blame him for that as well but how will we know like this ? I do understand patient want his privacy but how are we supposed to learn like this ? How will we know how hydrocele looks in real life and  if we can’t know how the case how we are supposed treat them?

Feeling sad we 8 girls(majority of students) left the room, we were sad but don’t know what to do. And there was a intern senior female who said that male patient never allowed us to do digital rectal examination and she also added she had  never seen the case of hydrocele or inguinal hernia just because she is female.

Whom to blame now, patient? We can’t because it’s their choice.

Then whom to blame ? 

Our extra X chromosome? Just because we are female we can’t examine most of the cases that comes to surgery department in male patients so female students loose their interest towards surgery and they finally give up. 

They give up dream of being surgeon just because of this small problem. So, I think this is one of the major problem I see less or even 0 female surgeon. 

Let’s compare this scenario with the gynecology department. There are equal number of male and female doctors. I like the way how female patients let them examine their every private part. I agree there were periods when she also preferred female doctors over male but now I don’t see like this. They have accepted the fact that they are doctor whether male or female. I haven’t found not even a single female patient asking our male friends to get out while doing per vaginal examination. 

I like the way the females adopt according to the situation. It may be due to compromising nature of female but this adopting nature of female has been good in this situation. 

So, sometimes compromising a little may be of great help for others. I don’t mean to do everything for others but your small help may change someone’s else whole life or carrier. 

Spread love🖤