National Doctor's Day 2020: 5 Indian Women Doctors Who Changed How We Perceive Medicine

July 1 is marked as Doctor's Day to commemorate the roles and efforts of doctors in saving lives and taking care of people in general. It is a day that pays homage to all the doctors who play a significant in contributing to the welfare of society.

Notably, Doctor's Day is celebrated across the country on the birth and death anniversary of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, former Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Doctors are a perfect combination of wit and nurture, something that we otherwise see in women and mothers around the world. However, there was a time when the medical field was dominated by men. That all changed when one woman trained in the western discipline of medicine and changed the way the field was perceived by all.

On Doctor's Day 2020, we take a look at a few women who have been instrumental in changing the course of the medical field for the better.

Dr. Anandibai Joshi

The first women doctor in India to have trained in the western discipline of medicine graduated in 1885. While, she unfortunately passed away to early in 1887, her feat managed to inspire others to take up the profession and in the process create women trailblazers in the field of medicine later. She was the first woman from India to qualify as a doctor from Women's Medical College, now known as Drexel University college of Medicine in Pennsylvania, US.

Dr. Indira Hinduja

She was the one who successfully delivered India's first test tube baby. A municipal school student from Belgaum, Karnataka, Indira managed the feat on August 6, 1986. Not only that, Dr. Hinduja also gave the country its first 'GIFT' baby, or the Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (GIFT) technique, where it enables fertilisation in the Fallopian tube instead of a test tube. The first GIFT baby was born on January 4, 1988.

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Dr. Padmavati Iyer

India's first cardiologist, she is also the person who created the first cardiology department in a medical institute and also founded India's first heart foundation meant to spread awareness about cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Firuza Parikh

Dr. Firuza Parikh helped men with low sperm count and women of advanced age in conceiving and having a baby. In 1994, Dr Parikh gave South East Asia its first Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) baby. The process has helped numerous couples in having babies.

Dr. Jayashree Mondkar

A neonatologist from Mumbai, Dr Jayashree Mondkar is known for running Asia's first Human Milk Bank. While mother's milk is extremely important for a baby to be healthy, a lot of babies remain bereft of the nutrition because their mums are unable to produce enough milk. The Human Milk Bank, at the time of its establishment, was the first agency to address to those needs.

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