As in most surgical specialities, women doctors are grossly underrepresented in urology. However, the past few years have been promising, as more women have made inroads into urology, and efforts are underway to make the super speciality more inclusive, and to promote gender equality within it.
The Urological Society of India’s (USI) Women of Urology (WoU) is one such effort to bring more women into the fold. WoU’s chair N. Rajamaheswari, one of the earliest women urologists in Tamil Nadu, is no new name to the speciality. “There is progress but it is slow,” she says. “From 1983 to 1990, we were only two women urologists (Dr. Lakshmi Sankaran and myself) in Tamil Nadu. Today, there are around 6,000 urologists (men and women) in India of which 148 are women. Overall, female urologists account for 2.5% of the urology workforce in India. Though this is disproportionate, it is getting better than it was before. Of late, a quick change is happening with more women entering the speciality. Take Tamil Nadu, for instance, we have 33 women urologists, including trainees, and we account for 4.5% of the workforce here.” she explains.
Anita Patel, consultant urologist, Mumbai, who qualified in urology in 1991, echoes a similar view. “There were hardly any women urologists then. Those who were practicing were concentrated in certain regions. But one thing that was special is that all three urology teaching departments run by the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai had a woman as the head. So, there was a huge gap. The only other area where there were a significant number of women urologists was the south. So, the west and south of India had the largest proportion of women urologists,” she says.
Bridging gaps
In its latest scientific programme held in Chennai, WoU and USI ensured that all faculty members, lecturers and doctors who did live operative workshops were women. T. Srikala Prasad, who recently retired as the professor and head, department of urology, Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, Chennai, said, “WoU is keen on giving a platform to younger women urologists, to encourage and to mentor them. Now, younger women doctors are specialising in uro-oncology, robotic surgery and laparoscopic urology. We definitely need more women urologists, as now, we have very few of them,” she says. Dr. Srikala was the seventh woman urologist in the country and third woman urologist in Tamil Nadu. She is the third urologist in the country to also have a Master’s degree in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Barriers to practice
Why haven’t many women chosen urology? Dr. Anita Patel notes that social conditioning and perception are the key factors, and this has been passed down generations. “We need to choose general surgery after MBBS. This is the stepping stone for urology. We still have very few women who take up general surgery. So, like we say in urology, it is a leaky pipe. In India, nearly 60% of young women take admission to MBBS versus 40% boys. When it comes to post graduation, women distribute themselves, and the number going to general surgery is the lowest, ” she points out.
But the pace has picked up, she says, adding: ”Urology provides ample opportunities for open surgery as well as adopting advanced technologies in robotics and endoscopy. I believe this is going to attract more women to the speciality as it requires a pair of skilled hands.”
Wondering why urology has fewer women, Sujata Kiran Patwardhan, professor and head of department, urology, KEM Hospital, Mumbai, said that general surgery is a very broad speciality, and there is a very good number of women there. “Recently, of the admissions to KEM Hospital, almost 50 to 60% of admissions are women. In urology too, it improved over the last few years. Maybe, women feel intimidated that the subject is related to the uro-genital system, or that patients may be predominantly male, and patients may find it difficult to relate to women urologists which is not true at all. More women need to come to urology,” she notes.
Challenges in urology
Urology is not without its challenges for women, experts say. “Conventionally, women were not encouraged to take up urology because it mainly dealt with genito-urinary surgery and importance was given to men. Whereas, obstetrician-gynaecologists dealt with women patients. More women should definitely study urology and ensure that the space is equal,” Dr. Rajamaheswari, a former professor with three decades of experience in the government sector, adds.
The presence of women in urology is not just representation but is a transformation, she says. “Women have excelled in all subspecialities of urology such as robotic surgery, endourology as well male and female urological procedures,” she notes.
Transforming the landscape
N. Muthulatha, consultant urologist, who retired as professor of urology, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, said when she pursued an MCh Urology in 1991, there were six seats in the State, while the number of seats has crossed 100 now. “Earlier, women seldom turned up for treatment of urological problems. Some sought treatment for kidney stones but most of them did not come forward to seek treatment for urological problems such as urinary incontinence. Now, things have changed a lot, and more women are seeking treatment,” she says.
More women urologists are definitely needed, she says. “We see women coming to Tamil Nadu from various parts of India including the north east for medical treatment. Women, as they age and enter the post menopause period, tend to develop urological problems, and it is necessary to ensure that they get treated without hesitation,” she points out.
Published – September 02, 2025 04:00 pm IST
