Women Surgeons Pioneering the Path in Male-Dominated Robotic Surgery

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On International Womens Day, women robotic surgeons expressed that there is a growing presence of female surgeons entering the predominantly male-dominated field of robotics.

"The number of women taking up robotic surgery is increasing. Still there is a lot of desire to be improved here. In general, the surgical field appears to be a male dominated field. The women find it difficult to break into the field, and where women are taking up a lot of robotic surgery is gynecology," Rooma SinhaPresident AGRS Association of Gynecological Robotic Surgeons of India Professor Gynecology Apollo Hospitals, told IANS.

Empowering Women Surgeons: Closing the Gap

"While more women are entering surgical branches, there is a dire need to keep pace. And it is especially important for women because surgery is long been perceived as � only boys club'," added Dr Shabnam Bashir, Senior Consultant, Breast & Colorectal Cancer Surgeries, at Ujala Cygnus Superspeciality and Mubarak Hospital in Srinagar, Kashmir. With technology racing ahead, the experts called upon women surgeons to upskill themselves. Although upskilling is important for all, women surgeons cannot afford to lag behind, they said.

‘there is a gradual shift as more women excel in the application of robotic technology, particularly in the field of gynecology. #roboticsurgery #womensday ’

Dr. Rooma said lack of robotic infrastructure in every hospital that the women are working in; as well as lack of good mentors for women are the major barriers to women surgeons adopting robotics."Most often it is men who do robotic surgery and they tend to teach their younger men colleagues for the same surgery. We need to stand out. Women surgeons who can mentor and Proctor and even encourage younger women surgeons to take up robotics in their respective fields," she told IANS. Besides affecting their profession, the lack of women surgeons has also affected patients.

Several studies have shown that women in surgery are more meticulous or safe surgeons with lesser complications.The eminent doctors noted that robotic surgery has also revolutionized health care for women patients. Robotic surgery with its advantage of minimal invasion of the body, less blood loss translates to quicker patient recovery and better cosmesis has significant relevance to women.

The complex surgery that I as a surgeon do for a patient is made safer and recovery is made much quicker with the help of robotic surgery," Anupama Rajan Babu, Consultant Gynecologic Oncologist, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough , UK, told IANS.

Source: IANS