Women's Day Special - Interview with Dr. Chetna Jain, Gynecologist

1. As a renowned OBGYN Specialist, tell us about your journey till now

I belong to a sleepy beautiful town in Rajasthan(Udaipur). I was born to highly educated parents my father was an English Literature Medhalist from BHU and mother a double masters in History and Pol Sc.Being the eldest sibling I got a memorable childhood where all the demands were met at the drop of a hat. I was considered an intelligent and hard working girl and  had a smooth sail in , MBBS and MS(OBG) at Udaipur.
Soon after, I followed my Husband(B Arch Hons from IIT Kharagpur, classmate of EX Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) and reached Kuwait and joined as a specialist in MOH. Very soon I realized that Indian Degrees were valued less and being a Type A personality I decided to do a Foreign Qualification and did MRCOG from UK. This broke the ceiling and sky was the limit. I had my 2 girls born there.

Life came to a routine with no challenges and that started boring me. Hence for a different style and freshness we moved back, this time to Gurgaon in 2007. I decided to work for poor and needy  and started to treat migrants through Charitable Organisations  and NGO. This gave me immense satisfaction. I also worked at Mother and Child Hospital which was the oldest IVF centre in New Delhi.After almost a year I joined Columbia Asia Hospital as HOD and ever since I have been with them.
 
2. As a woman, did you face any challenge to grow up professionally working in various capacities?

Fortunately I did not have too many challenges in my professional career. But many women travel on a roller coaster meeting the demands and achieving goals.   In my opinion every woman should feel important to herself. They should utter this at least once a day that “I am important and what I do is correct’. They should keep positive thoughts in life. Even if some odd things happen in life she should try to get over them soon. A woman should take help from immediate family and other women friends to reach the goals dreamt. 
 

3. What are the habits/ changes that women should adopt to live a good quality of life?

As a doctor I always give maximum time for my patients to help them to take healthy decisions. I always promote the importance of exercise and good diet. Once a year health check up should be part of their life especially cancer screening. Nutritional deficiency and heart disease are still leading reasons for women to lose their productive years. They should be readily addressed and treated early. I find lack of time and unnecessary stress to be part of most women’s life. I motivate them to plan with priorities in mind. I am a very compassionate Doctor and this bring out the problem easily and helps me in managing the person and not just the patient.

4. How is the medical practice different in affluent and non-affluent societies?

As a medical doctor a  patient is a sufferer from me. My main goal is to relieve her pain and bring in quality of life. With the corporate institutions growing around our goals are easily reached with the technology that is added. In non affluent society people would tend to fall back on government and NGO institutions where the processes are delayed and suffering continues for the people. Ultimately the pain will end with proper management. However delayed care is equal to unkind care.
 
5. Your thoughts on women empowerment in current social scenario? 

In developing countries where you have to work with  mediocre men,career is a great challenge. More than a doctor people would first think as women and then your profession. These thoughts should never bother any woman who has a goal and who is dedicated and self motivated. Take full advantage of right opportunity as women human resources are a constraints. You should be inspired by our previous generations and thus be an inspiration for the future. I can definitely say that things have changed a lot over years and now ,as I am senior and can grab all the courage, I will bat for my women juniors.
 

6. What are the qualities the present generation of young female doctors should possess to be able to compete with their male counter parts?

Positive attitude and aptitude. Be inspired and inspire others. Never undervalue yourself. Use every opportunity to learn and then practice that in life. Women can multitask and manage work life and family well. Go ahead and use this unique gift given by God to the population.
 
7. What do you think about online consultations with patients and would it actually add up to the quality of care given? If yes, how?

This is great. There is no  bias based on gender social creed religion nationality or skin colour . The best advantage to the patient is they can be open and the process is very confidential. We get a lot of personal questions and are happy to answer them.You help people online and in turn they shower appreciations in the form of reviews. As a byproduct  you can make a couple of quick bucks at your convenience. Its helpful for women who want second opinion. It’s a platform where people sitting in remote areas or overseas with inadequate facility can actually understand what best is possible for them.Not just text, a verbal communication is also possible.